Young Blood: A Persona 3 Story
by Cornelia.Louise
Summary: As if school and Shadows aren't trouble enough, the members of S.E.E.S. now face a new threat: a rogue group of Persona-users called the Holy Ghosts. Will S.E.E.S. and the Ghosts coexist peacefully? Or will they destroy each other before the Shadows can?
1. Chapter 1: Get Better

**Young Blood**

A Persona 3 Story

_"You keep my secrets hope to die_

_Promises swear them to the sky."_

_The Naked and Famous_

**DISCLAIMER:**I do _not_own Shin Megami Tensei, Persona or any of their characters.

**Foreward...**

Hey all! This is my first fic, a re-telling of Persona 3 Portable, my favorite game of the Persona series. In addition to adding a new storyline to the original plot, I've reworked it so that both the female and male protagonist are in the story, as well as providing sort of a guide to maxing out all of the **romantic social links**. The dialogue in the romantic subplots is _very_close to the dialogue in the game, so feel free to use this story as a guide.

That said, the first few chapters will be very close to the game, except that both **Minato**and **Hamuko**will be present. So **please stick with my story past the first couple chapters!**After chapter four, things start to change a lot in terms of story and characterizations.

**And for any of you who do not want the Persona 3 plot spoiled for you, for the love of Zeus, DO NOT READ THIS. It will spoil EVERYTHING.**

...So without further ado, here's _Young Blood!_Hope you like.

_*Creepy smile*_

~ Cornelia

P.S. I title all of my chapters after a song that I think is relevant to the chapter; if you'd like to hear them, go to my blog. There's a link on my profile. I **strongly**suggest this, not because it adds to the story (which I think it does), but because all of the songs are freaking **amazing.**

All right, now I'm done.

Enjoy _Young Blood_! And please, feel free to comment.

**CHAPTER ONE**

_**Get Better**_

"_Everything's gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better."_

_Mates of State_

_Time never waits. It delivers all equally to the same end._

_You, who wish to safeguard the future, however limited it may be…_

_You will be given one year; go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide…_

**SUNDAY – 04/06/09**

It was evening at the terminal station, and the entrance was buzzing with activity. Mothers and fathers carried their sleeping children through the crowd. College students gathered in exuberant groups; for them, the night hadn't even begun. Security officers leaned languidly against partitions, their eyes glued to the college kids, allowing older, less suspicious patrons to leap over the turnstiles unnoticed.

Amidst the throng, two anxious figures stood side-by-side. They were fraternal twins, though you wouldn't know it by looking at them; the boy, named Minato, had bluish hair and bright blue eyes, while his sister, Hamuko, had reddish brown eyes and a mop of brown hair. Hamuko had always been told she looked like their mother, whereas Minato was led to believe he looked like their dad. The twins had no way of knowing if this was true, of course. They had been orphans for about as long as they could remember.

Presently, Hamuko and Minato were entering a new chapter of their lives, a chapter in which they would be thrust from familiarity into a strange new world. Tuesday would be the twins' first day at Gekkoukan High School, an institution owned by the prestigious Kirijo Group. They hadn't been given much time to prepare. They hadn't even had time to think. But when their foster parents had received a letter from the Kirijo Group inviting Hamuko and Minato to attend Gekkoukan, the twins had promptly been packed up and shipped off to the station.

Minato tugged absently at the sleeve of his brand-new Gekkoukan High jacket. It was his idea to wear them to the station; it was the first time they'd be meeting their housemates, and he wanted to show them how dedicated he and his sister were to their new school.

"Which train is it, Hamu?" Minato asked his sister. "I can't remember…"

"We're on 'Anehazuru,'" said Hamuko tonelessly. "It's written on the ticket."

"Yeah, but I spilled water on mine and it smudged."

Hamuko sighed. "Figures…"

Minato looked sideways at his sister, whose face was set in lines of gloom. She'd been like this for weeks. It had started with her taking all of her New City High memorabilia and setting it all ablaze; after that, she'd locked herself in the room for a few days. Since she'd come back out, Hamuko had been melancholy at best, total zombie at worst. Minato hated to see her so downtrodden.

"I wish you weren't so sad," Minato said quietly. "You'll see your friends again someday."

"That's not it," said Hamuko, shaking her head. Minato frowned.

"Then… what is it?"

Hamuko turned her baleful eyes to her brother's face. "Come on, Minato. They practically _shoved_ us out the door."

She was talking about their foster parents. Minato sighed.

"Look, Hamuko," he said. "I know this might be stupid advice, but try to look at this experience positively. The Kirijo Group set us up with rooms at the Gekkoukan dorms. With all the money the Kirijo Group makes, think of how nice that place must be. Much better than our stupid New City apartment, anyway."

Hamuko was temporarily distracted from her resentment. "That's another thing," she told Minato in an undertone. "Why d'you suppose they _did _that? I mean, why do they want _us _at Gekko High?"

"Dunno," said Minato unconcernedly. "Grades, probably."

Both Hamuko and Minato were ace students; the two had tied for the top of their class every year as far back as elementary school.

"Yeah…," said Hamuko vaguely. "Still, though… It seems fishy to me."

Suddenly, a voice rang clear above their heads:

"_Attention, passengers. The Anehazuru train is now boarding._"

"Ah," said Minato. "That's us, then."

He strode off, whistling, toward the train – and stopped abruptly, realizing Hamuko hadn't budged.

"What's the matter?" Minato asked. "Are you coming, or aren't you?"

Hamuko stood still for several seconds longer, staring pensively over her shoulder. Maybe Minato was right. Maybe life at Gekkoukan High would be an improvement after their lives in New City. Maybe there was nothing to be upset about, after all.

And yet…

Why this nagging? Why this voice in her head that told her this was wrong? When she thought of returning to Iwatodai, she was flooded with dread. Why couldn't she shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong?

_Stop_, Hamuko told herself. _You're being stupid._

Things in Iwatodai would be fine. They would be calm, ordinary. They might even be a little boring. But Hamuko didn't mind that. At this point, she could use some boring in her life.

There was no room left for dread. She needed to get rid of it, to drive it from her mind, to leave it behind with the burning remnants of her New City life.

Hamuko turned to face her brother, a slight smile on her lips.

"Yeah, yeah," she told Minato. "I'm coming."

_Meanwhile, elsewhere…_

The female student sat huddled on her bedroom floor, her face buried in one shaking hand. She gasped and shuddered, her breathing shallow, her pulse uneven. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

She was terrified.

She knew what she had to do. She'd seen Mitsuru-senpai do it dozens of times. She knew she would come out of it alive. But still, the terror persisted.

It was just… that shape… Did they have to make the evokers look like _that_?

But the girl swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly. She had to get it over with. She'd put it off for far too long.

"I just… put it to my head…," she said, the way she'd rehearsed it so many times, "and… pull the trigger."

No matter how hard she tried, her would-be casual tone couldn't mask her fear.

The girl shook herself. "No chickening out," she said firmly. It was now or never. There was no time left for childish fright.

Slowly, the girl raised the evoker. She pressed the muzzle to her forehead. She rested her finger on the trigger. She shut her eyes, held her breath, prepared to fire –

– and let the evoker clatter uselessly to the floor.

"No…," groaned the girl, clutching at her light brown hair in despair. "I can't!"

Through the window, the full moon cast its pale glow over her face. A single tear of anguish slid silently down her cheek, bursting as it hit the mahogany floor.

She had failed.

Hamuko and Minato sat together toward the back of the bus, crammed somewhat uncomfortably into two seats. Both twins were wearing headphones, the slow drone of familiar music calming their nerves. At length, however, Hamuko switched off her MP3 player and looked expectantly to her brother.

It took a moment for Minato to realize Hamuko was staring at him. He took off his own headphones, frowning.

"What?" he asked, thoroughly creeped out. "What're you looking at me like for?"

"What are your expectations for this year?" Hamuko asked. "I mean, we'll have a fresh start at Gekkoukan. What are you hoping for?"

Minato considered it. "I dunno," he admitted. "As long as I make friends, I don't really care what else happens."

"You're not looking for a _girlfriend_?" sang Hamuko, grinning mischievously. Minato smiled.

"I'm a teenage boy," he reminded his sister. "I'm always looking for a girlfriend."

"Then why didn't you ever get one?" asked Hamuko. "I mean, a lot of girls at our old school really liked you."

Minato fiddled with his MP3 player. "Yeah, I know, but… For some reason, I always figured any relationship I made there wouldn't last. To me, New City never felt permanent."

"And you think Gekkou will?" said Hamuko skeptically.

"Yeah," said Minato, nodding. "I know it sounds crazy, Hamuko, but I feel like we were meant to come back. Even though I don't remember it, Iwatodai has always felt like home to me. I don't know if it's because that's where we were born, or because that's where Mom and Dad died, but…"

He trailed off, staring out the window. Hamuko turned her attention to the ceiling.

"I know what you mean," she said quietly. "But, for me, mixed in with the longing, I'm sort of… afraid to return."

"Why?" said Minato, looking up. "What's there to be afraid of?"

Hamuko shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to remember. There was something… a bridge… an awful crash… a blinding flash… and then…

Nothing. There was nothing more after that.

"Hamuko?" Minato pressed her. "Why are you afraid to go back?"

Hamuko sighed. "I don't know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Minato stared at Hamuko for a long moment. Before he could coax more information out of her, the conductor's voice sounded from the speakers in their headrests.

"Due to a malfunction in the switching system," said the conductor, sounding bored, "today's rail schedule has been greatly altered."

Hamuko's eyes snapped open. "Altered?" she repeated. "What d'you mean, altered?"

"We apologize to any customers who were in a hurry," said the conductor. A collective groan rose from the passengers in the twins' car. Hamuko shook her head.

"This is just what we need," she muttered.

"Relax," said Minato, patting her knee. "It's not like we've got anything else to do."

"I know," said Hamuko, "but I don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Well, I'm sure it won't be for much longer," said Minato. Then, as though in affirmation of this statement, the conductor announced,

"The next stop is Iwatodai."

"See?" Minato said, nudging his sister. "Told you so."

But by the time the twins reached their destination, it was nearly midnight – more than two hours after their promised time of arrival. They were the only passengers departing at Iwatodai Station. Hopping onto the platform, Hamuko and Minato stretched their stiff, aching limbs and cracked their necks.

"_This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island_," said a pleasant, feminine voice overhead. "_Please take care to board before our departure._"

"Port Island," said Hamuko nostalgically. "Man, I've wanted to go to Port Island for years! The shopping there is amazing."

"I hear they've got a wicked arcade," said Minato. "I wonder if we can go sometime this week."

"Sure!" said Hamuko excitedly. "Maybe our new housemates will want to come, too."

"I wonder what they're like," said Minato.

"Cool, hopefully," said Hamuko. "You never know, though. Gekkoukan is a top-ranked school; they could be pretentious snobs."

Minato shrugged, and was about to say he didn't think so - when all at once, the clock struck midnight.

The lights went out.

The electronics shut off.

Everything was cast into an eerie, greenish state of absolute shadow.

**MIDNIGHT – 04/06/09**

"What happened?" said Hamuko, whirling around. "Why'd the lights go out?"

"I – I don't know," said Minato. "And why's everything suddenly gone green?"

Hamuko shivered, pulling her blazer closer to her body. "Beats me," she said softly, "but something about the atmosphere seems…"

"Odd?" supplied Minato. Hamuko nodded fervently.

"Definitely odd."

Hamuko and Minato couldn't know it at the time, but "definitely odd" would soon become the best way of describing their lives.

"Come on," said Minato, grabbing Hamuko's hand. "It'd probably be best to hurry to the dorm."

"Right," said Hamuko.

And the twins left the station. They kept very close together, shivering slightly in the unnatural cold, glancing through alleys and abandoned side-streets. As they walked, they noticed coffin-like objects lining the deserted city, rows of ominous, identical monoliths standing tall along the sidewalks.

"What do you think _those _are?" asked Hamuko uneasily.

"Er – Probably some kind of modern art," said Minato. "Or an anti-smoking campaign."

But he knew this probably wasn't the case.

Ignoring what appeared to be blood running in the gutter, Hamuko turned her attention skyward. The moon was full, and eerily gigantic; she'd never seen anything like it. Normally, such a sight would fill her with awe.

Tonight, it sent a shiver along her spine.

Finally, Hamuko and Minato reached the dorm. They stood before the impressive doors, staring into the darkened windows. It was a spectacular building, all brick and ivy and robust Grecian columns, and it was exactly identical to the one in their admissions pamphlets. Minato breathed a sigh of relief. They were in the right place.

"What are we waiting for?" he said. "Let's go in."

As quietly as possible, Hamuko and Minato slipped through the front door, stepping out of their shoes as they entered the foyer. There was a living room set out before them with handsome armchairs, a comfortable-looking couch, an oak coffee table and a huge television set. Just beyond the living room was a spacious dining room. There were a lot of seats at the long table. Minato wondered how many people they would be living with.

Finally, Minato sighted what he'd been looking for: the men's bathroom.

"Be right back," he muttered to his sister, hurrying away.

Hamuko grinned. She set down her purse, and was just about to sink into one of those inviting armchairs, when –

"Welcome."

It was all Hamuko could do to keep from screaming. The boy's voice had come from directly behind her; spinning on the spot, Hamuko prepared herself for a fight to the death, expecting to find a crazed murderer looming over her shoulder.

So when she saw the little boy in the striped pajamas, Hamuko was both bewildered and relieved.

"You're late," the little boy announced, his bright blue eyes reproachful.

"Er – am I?" said Hamuko feebly. The boy nodded.

"I've been waiting a long time."

"W-well, I'm sorry," said Hamuko. "We didn't mean to keep you. It's just – the train was rerouted, and –"

She stopped short, frowning, as the boy shoved a piece of paper under her nose.

"If you want to proceed, then please sign here," the boy told Hamuko brightly.

Hesitantly, Hamuko took the paper, inspecting it. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's a contract," said the boy simply, adding, "There's no need to be scared."

"I'm not scared," lied Hamuko. "I just don't want to sign it if I don't know what it's for."

"It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions," said the boy, as though this should have been blaringly obvious.

"Oh, I get it," said Hamuko, relieved. "So it's a boarding agreement. It's telling me that if I trash the place, I'll get expelled, right?"

The boy only smiled sweetly.

"All right, then," said Hamuko. "I guess that's not a problem."

But when Hamuko scanned the first lines of the boarder agreement, she only grew more bemused.

The agreement read, "_I chooseth this fate of mine own free will_."

She was losing more faith in Gekkoukan High with each passing second.

Below this bizarre heading was a blank line, on which Hamuko assumed she had to sign her name. Extracting a pen from her pocket coat, Hamuko signed, in loopy cursive, _Hamuko Arisato, Junior._

Satisfied with her penmanship, Hamuko handed the contract to the boy, who was still smiling in his unnerving way. The boy pocketed the contract.

"Very well," he said. He paused for a moment, apparently lost in thought. Then, he said, as if to the shadows themselves,

"Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away."

He turned his orb-like eyes to Hamuko. She swallowed hard.

"Um – Right," she said stupidly. The boy chuckled.

"And so it begins," he said, in a voice full of foreboding.

Hamuko stared at the boy for a moment, hardly daring to believe he was real. She started suddenly as the bathroom door shut and Minato came toward her.

"You scared me," muttered Hamuko. "Why were you in there so long?"

"I was playing with the hand dryers," admitted Minato. "This place is seriously high tech. I'm looking forward to exploring."

"Me too," said Hamuko, "but there'll be time for that in the morning. Right now you have to sign the boarder agreement."

"Okay," said Minato. "Where is it?"

Hamuko turned to get a fresh copy from the boy in the pajamas. But the boy in the pajamas had disappeared. There was no sign of him anywhere.

It was as if he'd melted into the darkness itself.

"Hamu?" asked Minato. "Are you okay?"

Hamuko shook her head forcefully. "I think I need to lie down."

Suddenly, there came footsteps from the darkness.

"Who's there!" called a feminine voice. Before Minato or Hamuko could answer, a figure came forth from the shadows.

The girl was young, probably the twins' age. Her light brown hair fell carelessly to her shoulders, swept back over her ears. Her eyes were wide, brown, and wary. Minato couldn't help noticing that she was extremely pretty.

The girl's eyes grew even wider as they fell on the twins.

"How could you…?" the girl began. She stopped short, a look of realization sweeping over her face. The girl shook her head. "Don't tell me…"

She seemed to be seriously freaked out, though Hamuko couldn't see why. Suddenly, Hamuko's stomach twisted into a knot.

The girl was holding a gun.

"Wait!"

A second girl hurried into the room, placing her hand on the first girl's shoulder. This new girl was just as beautiful as the girl with the gun, though her beauty was manifested in a very different way. The new girl was statuesque, with long, graceful limbs and cascades of thick auburn hair. She, like the others, wore a Gekkoukan high school uniform, though she was definitely older.

The first girl jumped slightly as the second girl came in; almost simultaneously, the lights flickered on in the foyer.

"The lights…!" said the first girl, looking relieved. The second girl smiled warmly, turning her attention to Hamuko and Minato.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late," she told them.

"Sorry," said Minato. "Our train was rerouted."

The redhead nodded. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo," she told the twins. "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

Kirijo? Did that mean…?

"Who're they?" asked the other girl, rousing Minato from his thoughts.

"They're transfer students," said Mitsuru carelessly. "It was a last minute decision to assign them here."

Hamuko smiled at the brown-haired girl, holding a hand out for the girl to shake. She did not accept it.

"Is it _okay_for them to be here?" she asked Mitsuru, her voice heavy with some hidden implication. Mitsuru met her with an even stare.

"I guess we'll see," she said, smiling enigmatically.

The brunette did not look pleased.

"This is Yukari Takeba," said Mitsuru, when the brunette did not introduce herself. "She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

Yukari Takeba relaxed somewhat, apparently embarrassed at having been introduced like a child being introduced by her mother.

"Hi…," she said to the twins. "I'm Yukari."

"Nice to meet you," said Hamuko.

"Uh, y-yeah," said Yukari uncertainly. "Nice to meet you too..."

"Why do you have a gun?" blurted Minato, pointing.

Yukari looked taken aback. "H-huh?" she stammered. "Um – Well – It's sorta like a hobby. Well – not a hobby – but –"

"You know how it is these days," Mitsuru cut in. "It's for self-defense. It's not a real gun, of course."

Rather than looking grateful to Mitsuru for having saved her, Yukari only looked reproachful.

"It's getting late," said Mitsuru. "You'll find your room on the third floor."

"Er – _room_?" said Hamuko. "As in, singular?"

"Yes," said Mitsuru. "We didn't have time to prepare a room on the boy's floor, so you'll have to share a girls' room for the time being. It's only temporary, of course," she added, sighting Minato's defeated expression. "And we've put an extra bed in for you."

"Well, if it's only temporary, I guess it's okay," relented Minato.

"Your things should already be there," said Mitsuru. "I suggest you tuck in for the night."

Mitsuru looked pointedly to Yukari, who was staring hard at Minato. Yukari started, blushing slightly.

"Oh…," she said, smiling sheepishly, "I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Hamuko glanced at her brother, who was absently admiring the wallpaper. Hamuko smiled. It didn't seem like Minato would have any trouble at all finding a girlfriend. The real trouble would be getting him to pay attention.

After climbing what seemed like a hundred stairs, they reached the furthest door of the third floor. Yukari paused there.

"This is it," she said, somewhat awkwardly. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall."

"Thanks," said Hamuko, grinning. Now that Yukari had relaxed, she was a lot friendlier. In fact, Hamuko thought, Yukari Takeba would probably be a good person to make friends with.

"So," said Yukari, clapping her hands together, "any questions?"

"Yeah, actually," said Hamuko, the question only occurring to her as she said it. "I signed the boarder contract, but my brother didn't get a copy."

Yukari looked confused.

"Huh?" she said, frowning. "What contract?"

Hamuko's spirits sank slightly. Yukari clearly had no idea what she was talking about. Furthermore, the second Minato had entered the foyer, the little boy in the striped pajamas had disappeared.

Was it possible that Hamuko had imagined the whole thing?

"Um… Can I ask you something?"

Yukari looked uncomfortable again.

"Sure," said Minato. "Ask away."

"On your way here from the station," said Yukari, avoiding the twins' gazes, "was everything… okay?"

Hamuko and Minato exchanged nervous glances.

"What do you mean?" said Minato, trying to sound innocent.

"You know what I –" Yukari began. She bit her lip, apparently deciding better of it. "Never mind."

Hamuko relaxed. She didn't want her new housemates to know about the eerie green moon or the coffins. Scaring people would not help them make friends.

Yukari considered them for half a second more. "It seems like you're alright," she finally decided.

"You seem pretty alright yourself," said Hamuko, grinning. Yukari laughed.

"Well, I'd better get going…," she said. And, bidding them goodnight, she walked down the hall. Upon reaching her stairs, Yukari paused, her hand lingering on the railing.

"Um… I'm sure you still have other questions, but… let's save them for later, okay?"

The twins nodded. Yukari smiled.

"Good night!" she said again. She hurried back down the stairs. Once he was sure she was gone, Hamuko elbowed her brother.

"You must be pretty happy about the living arrangements, huh?"

Minato tilted his head to the side slightly. "Why do you say that? I don't even get my own room."

Hamuko rolled her eyes. She was talking, of course, about Minato living under the same roof as Mitsuru and Yukari – possibly the prettiest girls either of them had ever met. Leave it to Minato to be oblivious of it all, Hamuko thought.

The two of them pushed through the door and examined their new room. It was spacious, plenty of room for two people, let alone one. There was a computer, a TV, a closet. Hamuko had more than she needed here.

So things were weird. They'd only been in Iwatodai an hour, and already she'd seen coffin-filled streets, a giant moon and a little boy who didn't really seem to exist. But Hamuko was comfortable here. She liked Yukari, and Mitsuru seemed nice, too. Maybe it was okay if things were a little weird.

And, as Hamuko shut her eyes that night, she was content. It was nice to feel that warm, familiar glow again.


	2. Chapter 2: Nobody Knows Me At All

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**Nobody Knows Me At All**_

"_I know how you feel; no secrets to reveal_

_Nobody knows me at all_

_Very late at night, and in the morning light_

_Nobody knows me at all."_

_The Weepies_

**TUESDAY – 04/07/09**

Gekkoukan High School was much more than Minato had bargained for – in the best possible way.

Handsome, wrought-iron gates guarded the vast white building beyond. The intricately designed stone walkway was bordered by flowering sakura trees in identical rows. The windows shone like crystal in the April sun. If the dorms had been an impressive spectacle, Gekkoukan was flat-out jaw dropping. It was much more like a fortress than a high school.

"Wow," murmured Hamuko, from Minato's right. "It's beautiful!"

"I know," Minato agreed. "This is _way_ cooler than I expected."

Despite their excitement, Minato and Hamuko still felt distinctly out of place. Though their Gekkoukan uniforms helped them blend in, both twins couldn't help thinking they looked awkwardly conspicuous standing before the gates. It didn't help that they didn't know anyone, either; they still hadn't met the other housemates (if, indeed, there _were _any other housemates), and while Yukari had promised to meet them in front of the school, she still had not shown up.

Hamuko chewed her lower lip. She was getting increasingly nervous with each passing second. "Where do you think Takeba went?" she asked Minato in a low voice.

"Dunno," said Minato. "Should we just go in by ourselves?"

"I mean…," said Hamuko hesitantly, "I don't want to walk into the first day of school without having any idea what I'm –"

"Morning!"

Minato turned to see Yukari standing behind them, looking windswept, pink-faced and (he couldn't help noticing) very pretty. She smiled.

"Sorry I'm late," she told the twins. "Just had some archery stuff to take care of… I didn't get it finished, either, so I need to go back soon. Is it okay if I give you the speedy version of the tour?"

"Totally," said Hamuko, unperturbed. Yukari seemed relieved.

"Well, here we are," she said brightly. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You guys are gonna love it here!"

"I hope so," said Hamuko. Yukari's smile broadened.

"Don't worry, you will," she assured them. "Now c'mon, I'll give you the tour."

Gekkoukan, as they found out, was as spacious as it was colorful. As Yukari took the twins through the various corridors and classrooms, they passed an assortment of interesting people. In one hall, a man wearing a samurai helmet was lecturing a student who had apparently just arrived from Europe. Nearby, a pretty, brown-haired girl seemed to be hopelessly lost. And in the foyer, Hamuko caught a snippet of a conversation between two students by the lockers:

"Hey, Kaz…," said one of the students, an agitated girl. She was speaking to a tall boy in a grey tracksuit. "Why are you wearing your P.E. uniform? School just started!"

"So?" said the boy, nonplussed.

"_So_, you look like a lazy bum! You really oughta find a place where you can put on some normal clothes!"

"Eh…," said Kaz, shrugging, "I guess…"

"You're okay from here, right?" said Yukari, snapping the eavesdropping Hamuko to attention. "I've gotta take care of that archery stuff I was talking about earlier."

"Don't worry, Yukari-san," said Minato. "We're golden. Thanks to you."

Hamuko rolled her eyes. _Gimme a break._

"Great," said Yukari, who seemed flattered. "You guys should go see your homeroom teachers first. Being that you're both transfer students – and twins – you're probably gonna end up in the same homeroom. But I'd check, just in case."

"Okay," said Minato, "but where will we find our teachers?"

"The faculty office is just to the left," said Yukari, pointing. "And now that you know that, the tour is officially over! Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Nope," said Hamuko. "Thanks, though."

Yukari nodded. She appeared for a moment to be on the brink of leaving – but paused, saying,

"Hey… About last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

Hamuko and Minato looked at each other, their eyes wide. Did she know about the coffins in the street?

"Er – Yeah, alright," said Minato. "We won't tell."

Yukari nodded.

"See ya later!" she exclaimed, hurrying down the hallway. In her wake, Minato and Hamuko peered around.

"There's a bunch of people standing at that bulleting board," said Minato. "D'you think classes are posted there?"

"Dunno," said Hamuko. "Let's check."

Hamuko and Minato pushed their way through the crowd, craning their necks to get a look at the class rosters. At Minato's elbow, a pretty and intelligent-looking girl with a long, dark ponytail sighed heavily.

"Aww…," muttered the girl, "we're in different classes." Noticing that Minato was looking at her, the girl added, with a poor attempt at nonchalance, "Eh, whatever."

"I can't find our names," said Hamuko tersely, drawing Minato's attention from the distraught girl. Minato scanned the rosters again.

"Ah – there we are," he said, pointing. "There's a little note with our names attached, see?"

And so there was. According to the crinkled yellow Post-it note, Minato Arisato and his sister Hamuko would be in Class F. Minato inspected Class F's roster one more time. Yukari Takeba was also listed in Class F.

"Looks like we're in the same class as Takeba," noted Hamuko. She smiled, nudging her brother in the ribs. "The Fates must really be on your side, bro."

Minato was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing…," said Hamuko innocently. "Nothing at all."

As Yukari had instructed them to do, Hamuko and Minato made their way to the main office hall, stepping tentatively into the faculty office to introduce themselves to their teacher. In the faculty office, they found a young, harried-looking woman with short brown hair and a pleasant face. She smiled at the twins as they came in.

"Oh, are you the new students?" she asked. Hamuko and Minato nodded in unison.

"Yes, ma'am," said Hamuko.

The teacher grabbed a stack of papers from her desk and began rifling through them, her brow furrowed. When finally she found what she'd been looking for, her brown eyes lit up and she pulled a wrinkled paper from the stack. Smoothing out the paper, the teacher read,

"Minato and Hamuko Arisato… 11th grade, correct?" She glanced up at Minato, who nodded in validation. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... In 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents –"

The teacher gasped. She'd found it: the detail of the twins' past they most liked to keep secret. When she looked back to the twins, her eyes were full of pity.

"I'm sorry...," she said gently. "I've been so busy, I – I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

"Don't worry about it," said Hamuko. "Honestly, it was a long time ago. We're totally over it, aren't we, bro"

"Yeah," lied Minato, easily and earnestly. "We're fine."

The teacher appeared to be placated. "I'm Ms. Toriumi," she told them. "I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"Thank you," said Minato, smiling mildly.

"It's nice to meet you!" added Hamuko, more exuberantly than he'd intended. She blushed slightly as Ms. Toriumi laughed.

"Wow," she said, apparently impressed, "such enthusiasm! I'm glad you've come here, Hamuko. We could use go-getters like you to represent Gekkoukan. Lately, most of the student body has seemed so…_apathetic_.

"Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F – that's my class. I'll get you adjusted to the school before the day is done. Right now, though, we need to head to the auditorium. The _WelcomingCeremony _will be starting soon," said Ms. Toriumi dully. "Follow me, I'll take you there."

Once the Welcoming Ceremony started, Minato realized why Ms. Toriumi had been dreading it so much. The principal was an old, blustery man who seemed to have a fondness for telling meandering stories. His flat, toneless voice, which would have put even the Energizer Bunny into a coma, droned on and on from the overhead speakers.

"As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means…"

Minato's eyelids had begun drooping when…

"Psst… Hey."

Minato started awake, glancing over his shoulder. Two eager male students were trying to get his attention.

"What's up?" whispered Minato. The two students exchanged looks of excitement.

"You came to school with Yukari this morning, right?" asked one of the students.

"Sort of," said Minato, frowning. "How'd you know?"

"I saw you two walking together," said the boy, shrugging. "Hey, listen, though… I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

"How should I know?" said Minato irritably. He just wanted to sleep.

"Aw, damn," said one boy. "I thought you might know, but… I guess not. So, how well do you know her, anyway?"

"I hear talking!" hissed a teacher from another class. Ms. Toriumi went pink.

"_Shh_!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes at the boys behind Minato. "Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

The boys sank sheepishly into their seats. Minato turned around, his face unexpectedly flushed, his temper unexpectedly soured. He had drifted off into such a nice sleep. Those guys were idiots for waking him. Minato shut his eyes, his inexplicable anger fading as he fell back to sleep…

But then, he thought, just before dozing off, maybe he was bothered by something else entirely.

The first day of school was a blur of noise and color, of high-fives in the hallway and whispers in the cafeteria. Minato and Hamuko kept their heads down most of the day, doing their best to attract as little attention to themselves as possible. It seemed to work, too. By the end of the day, no one had spoken to either of the twins except their teachers, and that was only when they were calling roll.

But as Hamuko was gathering her things to leave, there came a voice from behind her:

"'Sup, dude?"

Hamuko wasn't sure what to be more surprised at: the fact that someone had actually noticed her or the fact that he'd addressed her as "dude." But when she saw who had spoken to her, things suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

He was a lanky, fairly tall boy with a dark goatee and a baseball cap. His Gekkoukan blazer was worn carelessly open. As Hamuko stared up at him, the boy laughed heartily.

"You look like a deer in headlights," he informed Hamuko, grinning.

"Er – who are you?" Hamuko asked.

Hamuko knew she probably sounded rude, but she was taken aback. None of her other classmates had approached her, and yet here was this boy, so brightly self-assured, coming right up and saying hello. Hamuko didn't know what to make of him.

"Me?" said the boy, pointing to his chest. "I'm Junpei Iori."

"Hi," said Hamuko, holding out her hand. "I'm Hamuko Arisato."

"Nice to meet ya," said Junpei, taking her hand and shaking it. "I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I wanted to check up on ya. Make sure you're not freaking out on your first day. See what a nice guy I am?" he added, grinning smugly.

Hamuko smiled weakly. "Um… Thanks?"

"Hey, no problemo, Hamu-chan," said Junpei, chuckling.

Minato appeared suddenly at Hamuko's side, materializing as though from thin air. He put a protective hand on his sister's shoulder, fixed Junpei with a chilly stare and said,

"What do you want?"

"_Minato_!" hissed Hamuko, horrified.

"Aw, come on, bro," said Junpei. "Let me introduce myself, at least…"

"Minato, this is Junpei Iori," said Hamuko. "He's a classmate. And he was just being friendly," she added sourly, "so calm down."

Minato relaxed, but only slightly. "Fine, then," he said with a stiff nod.

"Junpei, this is my twin brother, Minato," said Hamuko. Junpei grinned.

"Nice to meet ya!"

Minato's jaw worked a few times, attempting to repress the inevitable smile. But in the end, Minato couldn't help himself. There was something about this Junpei dude; his enthusiasm was contagious.

"Ugh – At it again, huh?"

Yukari sidled up beside Hamuko, looking thoroughly irritated. She scowled at Junpei.

"Honestly, is there any girl you _wouldn't _hit on?" she demanded of him. "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What?" said Junpei, looking both indignant and a little panicked. "But – I was just being friendly!"

"If you say so," said Yukari, looking unconvinced. "Anyway," she said, turning her attention to Minato and Hamuko, "some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?"

"Yeah," agreed Hamuko. "Funny how that worked out."

"Lucky, too," put in Minato. "I'm glad we have a friend here."

"Friend?" echoed Yukari, blushing slightly. "Y-you mean me?"

"Of course," said Minato. "Seems like Fate wants the three of us to be together."

"Fate?" said Yukari, giggling. "Yeah, right." She bit her lip. "Still, though… I'm a little surprised."

There was a moment of contemplative silence, broken by Junpei:

"Um, _hello_?" he said irritably. "Did you forget I'm in this class too? Lemme in on the fun! Quit leaving me outta things! I mean, I know you're all buddy-buddy, and everything, but –"

"_Buddy-buddy_?" repeated Yukari, raising an eyebrow. Junpei grinned deviously.

"Yeah, I heard you two came to school together this morning," he snickered. "What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

Yukari went brilliantly red.

"W-what are you talking about? We live in the same dorm. And it wasn't just the two of us! Hamuko was there, too! There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it? Now you have me worried!"

Minato shook his head, sweeping his books into his bag. They had been here less than a day and already people were gossiping about them. Word around Gekkoukan sure spread fast.

"Hey…," Yukari whispered suddenly.

Minato turned, and was startled to see Yukari had gotten very close to him, while Junpei busied himself with his book bag. Yukari's lips were inches away from Minato's ear. Her breath ruffled the hairs on the nape of his neck. A shiver coursed up and down his spine.

_Well, _thought Minato, both fascinated as well as confused. _That was a weird sensation._

"Listen," breathed Yukari. "You didn't say anything to anyone about… _you know what_, did you?"

Minato swallowed. "Uh-uh."

"Okay, good," said Yukari, smiling. "I was starting to worry. Seriously, though," she added, her smile fading. "Don't tell anyone anything about last night, all right?"

"_W-what_?"

Yukari and Minato's necks snapped around. Neither of them had noticed that Junpei had put down his book bag. His full attention was fixed on Yukari. Inexplicably, he looked like he'd just won the lottery.

"What?" said Yukari, frowning. "What do you want?"

"L-last night?" said Junpei, a wild grin spreading across his face. "_Don't tell anyone anything about last night!_"

Yukari and Minato exchanged mortified glances.

"Wait a minute," said Minato warningly. "Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Yeah, I mean, I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us!" said Yukari.

Junpei only grinned more broadly. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Yuka-tan."

Yukari looked furious with herself.

"I'm going home," she muttered. "Hamuko, do you wanna come with? I've got a bunch of archery equipment, and I could use some help carrying it."

"I'll do it," said Minato carelessly. Yukari blinked, surprised.

"Er – all right, then," she said. She scowled at Junpei. "But don't you go starting any new rumors, you hear me?"

"Not a single one, I swear," sang Junpei.

"And don't try anything _funny_," said Yukari, looking meaningfully at Hamuko. At this, Junpei's face turned solemn.

"Geez," he said, once Yukari and Minato were gone. "What is she, your nanny?"

"I'm sure she means well," said Hamuko. "She just seems a little flustered, that's all."

"About what, the rumors? Who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway," said Junpei. "She's so paranoid." He grinned suddenly. "But hey – it's only your bro's first day here, and people are already talking about him!"

"Is that good or bad?" said Hamuko, perplexed.

"Definitely good," said Junpei. "Believe it or not, Yukari's actually pretty popular… Your brother's definitely da man!"

Hamuko raised an eyebrow. "Did you seriously just say _da man_?"

"Is there a problem?" said Junpei.

Hamuko laughed. If Yukari really was as popular as Junpei made her out to be, then Minato's reputation was bound to soar in no time. Personally, though, Hamuko liked her little slice of anonymity. It was good to be in a place where no one knew her name, especially since she wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life here in Iwatodai.

"Hey… Listen."

Junpei looked nervous.

"Just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over here to hit on you or anything," he assured Hamuko. "I mean – it's not that I _wouldn't _hit on you – You _are _pretty hot – But I don't want you to take that the wrong way, either –"

"Junpei," said Hamuko, grinning bemusedly. "Take a breath."

Junpei smiled. "Er – sorry 'bout that," he said sheepishly. "Seriously, though – I want you to trust me, Hamu-chan. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!"

"I'll remember that," said Hamuko.

"Heh," said Junpei. "Cool. Hey – I've got an idea! Since your bro already took off with Yuka-tan, how 'bout you let me walk you home?"

"You think that's a good idea?" said Hamuko dubiously. "I mean, after all your talk about rumors…"

"Eh, don't worry about the rumors," said Junpei dismissively. "I start most of 'em, anyway."

The walk back to the dorm was nice. Hamuko made small talk with Junpei the whole way from school, going over the school clubs and sports teams and various aspects of student life Hamuko had never experienced before. The more she talked to Junpei, the more excited Hamuko became. Her year at Gekkoukan was bound to be an eventful one. She couldn't wait to really get started there.

Yukari and Mitsuru were both doing homework when Hamuko arrived, and from what they told her, Minato was taking a nap. So Hamuko took to exploring the dorms alone.

The boys' floor was really the only one Hamuko hadn't seen, so she paused there on her way to her room. It was empty, quiet and cold. It was little wonder they didn't want Minato sleeping there until they had prepared a room for him. Absently, Hamuko meandered down the hall, inspecting the empty photo frames and immaculately clean wallpaper. Curious, she turned to the second door on the left and made to open it – but the door was locked.

"Is that Mitsuru?" said a voice from within. "Sorry, but could you come back later?"

Hamuko nearly cried out in shock. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she retreated several steps away from the door, staring at it.

So there were other tenants here, after all.

Hamuko tiptoed away as quickly as she could, speeding up the stairs and into her bedroom. She was careful not to make too much noise, as Minato was asleep in the bed across from hers. Lightly, Hamuko sat down on her own bed, still rattled from the shock of hearing that boy's voice.

If there was another boy here, why didn't Mitsuru mention him before? And why weren't there more rooms prepared on the boy's floor? A rush of sinking dread filled Hamuko's stomach. There was something worryingly impermanent about their setup at the dorms. It was as if they were testing the Arisato twins out.

_And if they don't like us_, Hamuko found herself wondering, _what then?_

Sighing heavily, Hamuko flopped onto her bed, shutting her eyes tightly. Almost instantly, she fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

Later, in the dormitory lounge, Mitsuru sat alone, engrossed in a book she was reading for her world literature class. Only the sound of approaching footsteps could distract her from her task; glancing up, Mitsuru raised her eyebrows at her intruder.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

The intruder – a tall, extremely handsome young man with grayish white hair – smirked.

"Just out for a bit," he said carelessly.

"Oh?" said Mitsuru. The boy nodded confidently.

"Haven't you seen the newspapers?"

"I know…," said Mitsuru quietly, setting down her book. "People who had no problem before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome… I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but…" Mitsuru sighed, shaking her head. "Those poor people."

"Yeah, yeah," said the boy, smiling hungrily. "But you know what this means, Mitsuru. It has to be _them_."

"You seem bizarrely hopeful," noted Mitsuru.

"Well, look at it this way," said the boy, as he slipped his hands into matching weighted gloves. "If it's not them, then it's not worth my time. And if it's not worth my time, then I'll get bored. And if I get bored, then I'll get out of shape, and all my training will have been for nothing."

"You have a one-track mind," said Mitsuru, smiling. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry," said the boy, striding toward the door. "I'm just getting a little _practice_."

And, whistling an old fighting song, he stepped through the door and into the cool night air. Once he'd gone, Mitsuru sighed.

"This isn't a game, Akihiko…," she murmured.

Many unfortunate orphans spend their lives drifting from place to place, without certainty, without a home to return to. Akihiko Sanada was lucky not to be counted among them.

Although Akihiko had been orphaned at an early age – and although he had spent most of his life unwanted, in the dark corners of an orphanage – Akihiko had been blessed with the most sacred home of all. It was a special kind of home, not least because he could only access it for an hour every night and could take it anywhere he went.

For Akihiko Sanada, "home" was simply the darkness, the all-encompassing shadow of the Dark Hour.

In the Dark Hour, Akihiko was free to roam as he liked. There were no restraints there, no expectations, no great gaggles of horrible, simpering girls. The Dark Hour granted Akihiko absolute solitude – well, solitude apart from the multitudes of Shadows, of course. But Akihiko welcomed the Shadows.

He was obsessed with the hunt, addicted to the thrill of the fight. Each time he beat down a Shadow, each time he smashed the enemy's being upon his fist, Akihiko felt a sick, roaring rush of adrenaline, unlike anything he'd ever experienced. And when the fight had been won, and the Dark Hour turned back to midnight, Akihiko was consumed once again by a yearning, aching thirst.

Such bloodlust was uncharacteristic of a boy like Akihiko. He was bright. He was charming. He was polite and well-dressed. Sure, he was the captain of the boxing club, but he always conducted himself in a sportsmanlike manner.

But boxing was nothing like killing shadows. Nothing could beat the perverse ecstasy of destroying something that was purely, wholly evil. Nothing even came close.

Akihiko spent his days in anticipation of the Dark Hour, eager to satisfy the craving in his soul. He waited patiently until the clock struck midnight, then set out as a lion stalking his prey. Akihiko lived for the kill. A good night would leave him riding a high for several days. A bad night would put him in a horrible mood until the next night at midnight.

Tonight was definitely a bad night.

There were no Shadows anywhere to be found – at least, no _living _Shadows. The streets were littered with the inky black carcasses of Maya, bloated heaps of skewered Jotun, the splintered remains of Laughing Tables… There was nothing left for Akihiko.

"Damn it," he growled, scanning the darkened street for any sign of movement. "Where are you…?"

Akihiko stormed through the deserted streets, flexing his long, strong fingers. He was so focused on finding Shadows that he failed to notice the real cause of his problem; if his dark eyes darted upward for even a fleeting second, he would notice the slight, cloaked figure perched on a rooftop over his head.

The figure watched Akihiko intently, her eyes unblinking behind her white porcelain mask. This boy was no ordinary student. He was a Persona user, no doubt about it. She could feel his power, intense and incendiary, stirring somewhere within her.

The girl shivered slightly. Someone _that_powerful… she could only hope he was on her side.

Otherwise, it might become necessary to eliminate him. And it would be an awful shame to waste such beauty.


	3. Chapter 3: Full Moon

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Full Moon**

"_But I don't know who I am; And I don't trust who I've been_

_And if I come home, how will I ever leave?"_

_The Black Ghosts_

**WEDNESDAY – 04/08/09**

After class the next day, Hamuko and Minato had nothing to do, so they returned to the dorms immediately. They entered the lounge to see Yukari sitting in an armchair – but she was not alone. An older, sophisticated-looking man with long hair and spectacles was sitting directly to her right. Yukari glanced up as the Arisato twins entered.

"Oh, good," she said. "You're back."

The long-haired man turned, smiling warmly. "So," he said, "these are our new guests!"

Minato shot Hamuko a look that clearly asked, "_Who the hell is_this _guy?_"

"Yes, sir," said Yukari. "This is Hamuko Arisato and her brother Minato."

"Good evening," said the man pleasantly. "I'm Shuji Ikutsuki, the Chairman of the Board for Gekkoukan High."

"Oh – Hi!" said Hamuko, surprised. She hadn't expected someone as important as the Chairman to drop by the dorms. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Mitsuru's family owned the school.

"Yeah," said Minato, rubbing the back of his neck, "it's nice to meet you, Mr. – uh –"

Hamuko sighed. It looked like her brother's attention span was just as short here as it was in New City.

"Ikutsuki," chortled the Chairman. "Hard to say, I know. That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes!"

Hamuko glanced discreetly at Minato, who looked the way she felt. The Chairman seemed like a nice enough guy, but the twins got the distinct impression that he was also a bit of a loser.

"I apologize for the confusion regarding your accommodations," said the Chairman. "Unfortunately, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment."

"That's okay," said Minato. "We don't mind waiting. Do we, Hamu?"

"Er – no," said Hamuko uncertainly. "We don't mind at all…"

In reality, Hamuko's nerves were very much on edge. The fact that they still had not prepared a room for Minato was not a good omen. Hamuko was growing increasingly suspicious that she and her brother were not expected to be permanent residents of the dormitories.

"Thank you for being so understanding," said the Chairman. "Now, before I leave, do you two have any questions for me?"

"Yeah, actually," said Minato. "What are you doing here?"

One more thing that hadn't changed about Minato: his tendency to blurt out everything that drifted into his head. However, the Chairman did not seem to be bothered.

"I'm here to welcome you, of course," he said, laughing heartily. "Speaking of which – Where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"

"Upstairs," said Yukari dully. The Chairman nodded.

"Diligent as always, I see… Although, it wouldn't hurt for her to come downstairs and say hello."

"Yeah, well…," muttered Yukari. "That's Mitsuru."

Hamuko was the only one who heard Yukari's last. She sent a puzzled glance Yukari's way, but Yukari avoided it, her cheeks slightly red.

"Anything else?" asked the Chairman.

"Just one," said Hamuko, suddenly remembering the boy's voice from last night. "Who else lives here?"

"Apart from you, your brother, Yukari and Mitsuru, there is only one other tenant," said the Chairman. "His name is Akihiko Sanada. He's a senior."

"I see…," said Hamuko.

That must have been whose door she had knocked on last night – that Akihiko Sanada boy. How embarrassing.

"Why haven't we met this Sanada guy?" asked Minato.

"Um – He's sort of – private," said Yukari uncomfortably.

_Which is another way of saying stuck_ _up,_Hamuko thought.

"Well, if that's all the questions you have for tonight, you two should get to bed early," said the Chairman. "You must be tired from all the excitement. And, as they say: 'The early bird catches the bookworm'!" He chuckled to himself. Yukari rolled her eyes.

"You'll get used to his bad jokes eventually," she muttered to the twins.

That night, as before, Hamuko did not sleep well at all.

Whereas Minato fell asleep almost instantly, Hamuko lay awake for an hour or so, deep in thought. As comfortable as she was in the Gekkoukan dorms, there was something markedly fishy about the way things were run here. Apart from the Chairman, there had been no adults to supervise the goings-on there. Though there were many vacant rooms, there were only three boarders other than Hamuko and Minato. And then there was the matter of Akihiko Sanada, who had not yet shown his face.

What exactly was going on here? And where did Hamuko and Minato factor into it?

Hamuko sighed and rolled over, shutting her heavy eyelids. She needed to sleep if she wanted to clear her head. If she could get that, then come tomorrow, she was confident she would feel much better about the dorms.

_Meanwhile, in another room of the dormitory…_

Mitsuru sat alone at a control panel, poring over endless figures and graphs. Every now and again she would pause, mutter something to herself and scribble down a hasty note. Behind her, Yukari sat in an armchair, her eyes flickering between a handsome grandfather clock and the back of Mitsuru's head. And at the farthest corner of the room, Akihiko merely looked bored.

The Chairman knocked once before poking his head into the room.

"Working hard?" he asked Mitsuru.

"Mm-hm," said Mitsuru, without looking up from her notes.

The Chairman sauntered into the room, hands in pockets, and fleetingly examined a small computer screen; it displayed infrared surveillance footage of the Arisato twins' room.

"So," said the Chairman, "how are they doing?"

"Well, they're asleep now," said Mitsuru, leaning back slightly in her seat. She glanced up at the Chairman, her face serious. "Mr. Chairman… do you think they're…?"

"Let's wait and see for now," said the Chairman calmly. "The Dark Hour will come soon enough."

Mitsuru nodded and resumed studying her graphs. Yukari bit her thumbnail. It just didn't seem right, spying on the Arisato twins like this… Even if they were possible Persona users, they were people, too. And what if they didn't end up possessing the powers the Chairman thought they did? What would happen to them then?

Yukari shuddered. She did not like playing games with people. No matter what they stood to gain from it.

Akihiko, meanwhile, was impatient for the Dark Hour to come, not because he was anxious to see the twins' power revealed, but because he had work to do. There was always the chance that whoever had slaughtered all those Shadows last night would return to do so tonight. Akihiko had to get out there while there was still something left for him.

He glanced at the clock. Almost midnight.

_Well, then,_thought Akihiko, smirking. _Let the games begin._

**WEDNESDAY – 04/08/09**

_**The Dark Hour**_

"_Master… Master Hamuko Arisato…_"

The unknown voice called out to Hamuko, beckoning her softly… Transfixed, Hamuko padded across the checkered floor, rubbing her eyes in a zombie-like state of half-consciousness. The blue door loomed over her, seemingly endless. Through a miniscule crack, Hamuko could see a warm, inviting light from within. Curious, she stepped toward the door, pushing it open lightly.

And as Hamuko walked through the door, her jaw dropped.

The room before her was so fantastic, so surreal that Hamuko was suddenly very aware that she was dreaming it all. The impossibly high ceilings, the magnificent clock, the doors that led to nowhere… It was like a scene taken right out of a fairytale.

Perhaps most fantastic of all was the spectacle at the center of the room: a tiny man sitting on a blue velvet sofa, with tufts of wild white hair and an absurdly long nose. The little man smiled deviously as Hamuko approached.

"Ah, Master Hamuko," said the man, bowing slightly. "Good, you're finally here… We've been waiting, you know, for a very long time. In any case, welcome to the Velvet Room."

Hamuko could only nod in response. The man's uncanny grin broadened.

"My name is Igor," he informed her. "I am delighted to finally make your acquaintance."

"What d'you mean, finally?" asked Hamuko, finding her voice.

"I have been waiting many years for this day, Master," said Igor greasily. "Many years indeed."

Hamuko looked around the Velvet Room, utterly bewildered. "I'm – I'm dreaming all of this, right?" she asked Igor. "I mean – This isn't real, is it?"

"It _is_ real," said Igor, "and yet it is not. You see, the Velvet Room exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter. It is accessible only to those who have signed the contract."

"The contract!" echoed Hamuko, her eyes growing wide. "You mean the contract that little boy made me sign!"

"Correct," said Igor.

And he extracted the contract from his waistcoat pocket, sliding it across a blue glass coffee table so that Hamuko could grab it. Sure enough, there it was, plain as day: the signature _Hamuko Arisato – Junior_, right beneath the strange and foreboding disclaimer.

"Henceforth, you shall always be welcome here in the Velvet Room," said Igor. "You are destined to hone your unique ability, Young Master. You will require my help to do so."

"I'm sorry," said Hamuko, "but what ability?"

"You will discover it in time," said Igor vaguely. "And once you do, I swear I will be here to help you on your journey. I only ask one thing from you in return: that you abide by the contract, assuming responsibility for all choices you make."

"Er – okay," said Hamuko slowly. "I guess I can promise you that."

Igor smiled, showing rows of mossy teeth. "Good, good… Now, in the meantime, hold onto this."

He slid a second item across the table, a tiny, crystal key. Hamuko turned the key over in her hands, admiring it.

"That is your own copy of the Velvet Key, the only means by which you can enter this realm," said Igor. "I suggest you take care of it."

"I will…," murmured Hamuko. "Thank you."

"There is one other resident of this room," said Igor. "Unfortunately, he could not be present for your arrival. But he sends his regards. The two of you will be properly acquainted the next time you visit us."

"Okay," said Hamuko, wondering who this absent stranger was.

"Now, then," said Igor, "you had better trot off, Master. I look forward to your next visit."

"S-sure," stuttered Hamuko, blinking. The world had begun to grow very dark. Suddenly, she felt as though she was falling, falling into a void of perfect darkness. As she drifted back into consciousness, Igor's voice floated after her:

"'_Til we meet again…_"

Back in the command room, Mitsuru, Yukari, Akihiko and the Chairman were crowded around the control panel. The surveillance footage showed Minato and Hamuko sleeping soundly in their beds, utterly peaceful and undisturbed.

"They're still sleeping…," murmured the Chairman. Yukari looked up hopefully.

"That's a good sign, right?" she asked.

"In a way, yes," said the Chairman. "As you know, the 'hidden' Dark Hour occurs every night at midnight. During this time, every ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs around them."

"We know all of that already," said Akihiko impatiently. "What's it got to do with the Arisato kids?"

"As you can see, they've both retained human form," said the Chairman, pushing his spectacles up his nose. "They're asleep, but they're definitely experiencing the Dark Hour."

"Then…," said Yukari quietly, "they must be…"

"Well, let's not jump to any conclusions," said the Chairman. "After all, we've still yet to see if they possess the potential. Although…," he added, more to himself than to Yukari, "if they didn't have power, then the Shadows would certainly have preyed on them by now…"

Yukari shivered. "Scary…"

"In any case," said the Chairman, "we should consider monitoring them for the next few days."

"Yes, sir," said Mitsuru obediently.

This was what Yukari had been afraid of. "Er – don't you guys feel kind of bad, though, spying on them like this?" she asked timidly.

The others ignored her. Yukari sighed heavily.

"Never mind…"

"Alright," said Akihiko, tapping his toe anxiously on the linoleum, "are we done here?"

"Yes," said Mitsuru, rolling her eyes. "We're done. You can go on the hunt now, Akihiko. But be careful!" she shouted after him, as he sprinted from the room. She shook her head after he had gone. "Honestly, he's like a child."

"Don't be so harsh, Mitsuru," said the Chairman. "Akihiko is just passionate about his work. He's not so different from you in that respect."

He patted her shoulder. Mitsuru smiled slightly. "Well… As long as he's being careful, I suppose there's no harm in it."

Out in the streets, Akihiko could hardly believe his luck.

The sidewalks were piled high with Shadow carcasses, but not a single live Shadow could be found anywhere. Storming through the abandoned alleys, Akihiko's mood worsened with each step he took, until finally he could have punched a hole through a wall.

It was last night all over again.

Who the hell was destroying all these Shadows? Who had the gall to interfere with Akihiko's work?

Akihiko had just about had enough when he spotted it: a hulking, impressive specimen, lurking just at the edge of town.

Akihiko stopped dead, staring. His blood began racing, his pulse thundering in his ears. It was beautiful. The most spectacular kill he would ever make.

He had to have it.

And, without stopping to think for even a second, Akihiko barreled forth, engaging in battle with the massive Shadow. Some ten yards away, the cloaked, masked figure from last night sat in silence, watching Akihiko with rapt attention. She had, of course, left this Shadow alive on purpose. She had led it to this empty lot so that Akihiko could find it. It was an epic battle, one worthy of a fighting champion. She knew he would not be able to resist it.

This Shadow was bait, and Akihiko the catch. And Akihiko had bitten all too readily.

He really needed to be more careful, the girl thought, if he didn't want to end up dead. Shadows were cleverer than this white-haired boy suspected. If he continued treating them with this blatant lack of respect, he would certainly fall into one of their intricate traps.

"Enjoying yourself?"

The masked girl turned sharply to see her comrade lingering in the doorway, his own mask gleaming in the garish moonlight. The girl clutched her chest, shaking her head.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on me like that," she scolded her teammate. "You scared me half to death."

The masked boy chuckled.

"Well, I'm sorry," he said, sauntering smoothly up to her. "I guess I just get a kick out of it."

The two masked accomplices were silent for a while after that, both watching Akihiko's battle in the lot below. The boy tilted his head slightly to the side, thinking.

"He's good," he remarked at last. "I wonder whose side he's on."

"I've been wondering that all day," muttered the girl. "I mean… if he's one of _them_…"

"That would be bad news for us," agreed the boy. "I don't think we need to be worried, though. He doesn't seem the type to join a murderous cult."

"You don't think so, either?" said the girl, immensely relieved. The boy nodded.

"His aura is too different from theirs. Cleaner. It just doesn't add up."

The girl smiled. "Good…"

She paused for a brief moment, unsure whether or not she should ask the question that lingered behind her lips. Finally deciding there could be no harm in it, she asked,

"…Can you see his name?"

"Of course," said the boy offhandedly. "Akihiko Sanada, age 17. Blood type O. His Persona, Polydeuces, is weak to Bufu skills."

The girl laughed lightly. "You're getting good."

"I've been practicing," said the boy, shrugging. He glanced sideways at the girl. "Why did you want to know, anyway?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Oh, no reason," said the girl innocently. "No reason at all."

"Yeah, right," said the boy. "I know you're cooking up some grand scheme with that imagination of yours. So let's hear it."

"It's not a scheme, really," said the girl, her eyes still glued to Akihiko. "I… I was just wondering whether or not we could convince him to join us."

The boy chuckled. "I doubt it. He was royally pissed that you leveled most of the Shadows off before he had the chance. Doesn't exactly scream 'team player', does it?"

"I guess not," admitted the girl. "Shame, though… I would've liked to know him better."

"Why?" said the boy, frowning. "You've never even met him."

Ignoring his question, the girl remained silent until Akihiko finally vanquished the Shadow. Almost simultaneously, the chill of the Dark Hour subsided. The green light faded to blue. The defeated Shadow's corpse disintegrated. Panting, Akihiko stood still for a while, grasping at a gash in his right wrist. The girl inhaled sharply.

"He's injured…," she muttered. "If I could just jump down there and –"

"Not a chance," said the boy firmly. "You're not to use your ability on anyone other than our teammates."

"But –" protested the girl.

"I told you, no," said the boy. "There's no knowing who he's working for. And besides, what do your sister and I always say?"

The girl sighed. "Trust no one," she recited tonelessly.

"That's right," said the boy. "And don't you forget it again, understood?"

"Understood," said the girl dejectedly.

She glanced back into the empty lot to see that the boy was gone. She felt a faint twinge of disappointment. She expected she would never see Akihiko Sanada again.

"It's late," said the boy suddenly, pulling the girl to her feet. "We'd better get home."

"I guess you're right," said the girl. The boy, picking up on her disappointment, patted her on the shoulder.

"Cheer up, Manami. There will be more people like him."

"Exactly," said the girl called Manami. "There are _always_more people like him. And we _never_ make contact with them."

"Because it's dangerous," said the boy automatically.

"How do you know?" Manami challenged. "How do you know their motives aren't the same as ours?"

The boy shook his head. "You'll understand some day, kid: we're the only people we can count on. As long as we've got each other, we don't need anyone else. So why bother?

"Maybe…," muttered Manami, staring through the window once more.

Maybe he was right. Maybe their team was enough. Maybe they really couldn't trust anyone else. Maybe they really were the only people they could depend on.

But then there were those times during the break of dawn, the chill of twilight and the lonely silence of the Dark Hour, the moments at which Manami felt utterly alone. And during those times, she could not help but think it would be nice to have someone – _anyone_– else to talk to. Someone she _hadn't_grown up with, who understood what it was like to bear the immense weight of Persona on their shoulders.

And maybe it was stupid of her, or childish, or idealistic. But for a moment, she had really believed Akihiko Sanada could be that other person.

**THURSDAY – 04/09/09**

On the way to school the next morning, Hamuko relayed the details of her bizarre dream to Minato. Minato's frown grew deeper and deeper with every sentence she spoke, until finally his eyes were reduced to slits and his mouth was perfectly crescent-shaped.

"So… this guy told you that you had some kind of magical power?" he asked Hamuko slowly.

"He never said anything about magic," said Hamuko. "All he said was that I'd awaken to a mysterious power soon, and that he'd be there to help me when I finally did."

Minato shook his head. "That is without a doubt the weirdest thing I have ever heard," he informed his sister. "I mean… I always knew you were cracked, but this is proof of it."

"Shut up," laughed Hamuko, punching Minato's arm. Minato smiled.

"You know I love you," he told her. "Seriously, though," he added, lowering his voice, "do you think there's a chance you _didn't_dream it?"

Hamuko stared at him. "You're not serious."

"Think about it, Hamu," said Minato. "Remember all that weird stuff we saw the night we came to Iwatodai? Remember the coffins, and how everything went all green?"

"Yeah," said Hamuko, "so what?"

"Last night, I woke up for about two seconds," said Minato seriously. "I fell back asleep almost instantly, but… in the time that I was awake, everything looked green again."

"You're kidding!" said Hamuko.

"I'm dead serious," said Minato. "What if something's happening, Hamu? Something bigger than we could even imagine? What if something…_supernatural_is going on?"

Hamuko gawked at her brother, utterly speechless. Before she could begin to wrap her mind around Minato's suggestion, there came a voice from behind them:

"Yo."

It was Junpei Iori. Maybe it was due to the early hour, but he looked decidedly less cheerful than he had when they first met him.

"Man…," Junpei yawned. "I'm so sleepy today. In times like these, I always figure it's best to sleep through class!"

Minato and Hamuko, who had never slept through a class period in their life, exchanged bemused glances. Junpei did not seem to notice.

"You ever notice how a nap during class makes you feel more refreshed than sleeping at home?" he asked the twins.

"Can't help you there," said Minato, "I don't sleep in class."

Junpei looked floored.

"You're kidding!" he cried. "But – I thought _everyone_slept in class from time to time!"

"Not us," said Hamuko apologetically Junpei shook his head.

"Aw man," he groaned. "Why d'you have to be all serious? You make me feel like such a slacker…" He frowned suddenly. "Come to think of it, the feeling of being recharged might be awesome, but I'm always screwed after I miss the lecture… Maybe I should start paying more attention in class."

"That might help, yeah," said Minato dryly.

"Ugh, but we've got Classic Lit today," grumbled Junpei. "That means we're stuck with nasty ol' Ekoda."

"Is he bad?" said Hamuko nervously.

"The worst," said Junpei.

And for once, Junpei was not exaggerating. Ekoda's lecture was nearly as boring as the principal's had been, only this time, they were expected to take painstaking notes on every point he made. Not surprisingly, Junpei fell asleep very early in the class period, drooling blissfully onto his textbooks. Minato, who sat directly in front of Junpei, did his best to shield him from Ekoda's view.

After school, Hamuko met up with Yukari by the shoe lockers and the two of them went to Paulownia Mall. The original plan was to get new gym shoes, but the girls ended up spending about three times as much money as they had planned on. It was the strangest thing. Hamuko could have sworn she only had about 70,000 yen in her bank account, but even after the purchases she made, the receipt assured her she still had 83,000 left. It was like the extra money had appeared from thin air.

Paulownia wasn't a very big mall, but it was a nice one. There were dozens of interesting little shops, including a skincare store called Be Blue V, an arcade called Game Panic and an antique shop that appeared to be closed for renovation.

When they were finally done shopping, Yukari treated them to coffees at Chagall Café. She and Hamuko sat for awhile at the fountain, sipping their drinks, their numerous shopping bags strewn around their feet.

"Have you come here before?" Yukari asked Hamuko.

"A long time ago," she said. "I was a little kid, though, so I don't remember. And anyway, I expect a lot has changed since then."

"You bet," said Yukari. "They've really spruced the place up in the past few years. It's a nice mall. A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. Mostly, they stick to the record shop and the karaoke place. There's a nightclub, too, but… that's kinda not for us yet."

"Honestly, I don't think I'd go even if we _were_ old enough," admitted Hamuko. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Really?" said Yukari. "I never would have guessed. You seem so… coordinated."

"Trust me," laughed Hamuko, "it's just a façade. I'm actually sort of a klutz."

Yukari suddenly became very interested in her shopping bags. "Um… what about your brother?"

"Minato?" said Hamuko, bemused. "What about him?"

"I mean – Is he a klutz, too?" asked Yukari, her cheeks flushing slightly. Hamuko smiled.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "Apparently, Minato got all the genes with style. He's a great dancer – that is, if you can drag him out on the dance floor."

Yukari smiled very slightly. "…Cool," she mumbled.

"But what could my brother's dancing skills possibly have to do with you, Yukari-san?" Hamuko asked slyly. "Could it be that you're interested in putting him to the test?"

Conveniently (or inconveniently, as Hamuko saw it), Yukari's cell phone rang at that moment, sparing her. Mitsuru was on the other end, and she was calling them home for dinner.

It was already dark when Yukari and Hamuko arrived at the dorms, and a magnificent full moon hung on the inky backdrop of the night sky. Mitsuru sat at the dining room table, admiring the cool moonbeams that fell across the carpet.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," she said, as Yukari and Hamuko sat down. "It might be nice to read a book by the moonlight."

"Is that what you're planning on doing tonight, senpai?" asked Hamuko. Mitsuru smiled.

"Perhaps."

"So what's for dinner?" asked Yukari. Mitsuru gestured to the various brown bags scattered across the table top.

"Takeout," she said brightly. "I didn't know what everyone liked, so I got dishes from Hagakure, Wild Duck Burger, the beef bowl place, the takoyaki stand…"

"And you carried all these bags home by yourself, senpai?" said Hamuko in disbelief.

"Of course not," said Mitsuru. "I received help from Arisato. Er – the _other_Arisato," she clarified unnecessarily. "That's going to get confusing."

"You can just call me Hamuko," Hamuko suggested. Mitsuru shook her head.

"No, that won't do," she said. "Hamuko-san, maybe, but your given name alone…"

"Hamuko-san is fine," said Hamuko quickly. Mitsuru smiled.

"Very well, then. I'm afraid Arisato and I have already eaten. He's upstairs studying. I'm sorry, but I should retire for the night as well."

"Okay," said Hamuko. "Good night, senpai."

"Good night, Hamuko-san," said Mitsuru, apparently testing out the usage of Hamuko's name. "Good night, Takeba."

"Night…," said Yukari. She watched Mitsuru as she scaled the staircase, sighing once she was finally gone.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Hamuko, helping herself to some ramen.

"…No," said Yukari. "It's just… I'm sick of takeout. That's all we ever eat."

"You guys never make your own food?" said Hamuko.

"Well, no," said Yukari. "I'm – er – not a very good cook. And Mitsuru-senpai just doesn't do that kind of thing, you know? We used to have a dorm mother, I guess, who did all the cooking and cleaning and stuff, but she moved away. It'd be nice to have someone to do all that kind of stuff for us, don't you think?"

"Sure…," said Hamuko vaguely.

Truth be told, she preferred self-sufficiency, but she didn't want to sound rude. So she remained silent.

"To be honest…," said Yukari, "I'm not so hungry anymore. Sorry, but I think I'm gonna turn in. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Er – okay," said Hamuko bemusedly. "Good night, I guess."

She ate alone in silence. Several times, she considered taking her plate to the couch to eat in front of the TV – but she wasn't quite familiar enough with dorm etiquette to feel comfortable doing this. So Hamuko remained at the table. And while she ate, she wondered what was _really_bothering Yukari. Somehow, Hamuko doubted Yukari's sour mood had really been caused by the food.

Once Hamuko was done eating, she watched an hour or so of TV, then made her way upstairs. As she entered their bedroom, Minato glanced up from his MP3 player.

"I guess you were busy today," he said, nodding at her shopping bags.

"Yeah," said Hamuko. "Yukari-san took me to the mall for some shopping."

"Sounds fun," said Minato, going back to his music. Hamuko set her bags down lightly, busying herself with her school books.

"She asked about you, you know," she said carelessly.

"Who did?"

"Yukari-san."

Minato looked vaguely interested. "Really? What did she say?

"Uh-huh," said Hamuko. "She wanted to know if you're a good dancer."

"Great," he muttered. "What did you say?"

"I lied, of course," said Hamuko. "What kind of sister do you think I am?"

Minato smiled his small smile. "You're one in a million, sis."

"I know," said Hamuko, smiling in turn. Then, before he could plug in again, "So…what do you think of her?"

"Of who?"

Hamuko groaned. "Of Yukari, idiot."

Minato considered it for a second. "Well…," he began slowly, "she's pretty. Really pretty, actually. Not as pretty as Mitsuru-senpai –"

"No one is as pretty as Mitsuru-senpai," said Hamuko.

"You are," said Minato.

"Aww," said Hamuko, touched. "Look at you, lying to make me feel good about myself."

"Of course," said Minato, "what kind of brother do you think I am?"

Hamuko laughed. "Seriously, though, is that all you have to say about her? That she's _not as pretty as Mitsuru-senpai_? Seriously, bro, that's cold. Even for you."

Minato made an impatient sound and sat up straight. "I think she's guarded. She plays the big sister role to all the underclassmen at school because she likes to feel depended on. I'm guessing her relationship with her mother isn't very good. I think she's smart, she's driven – and, no matter how much she likes to pretend she's the tough girl, she's compassionate. She's a great catch. A little cynical, maybe, but then who doesn't have baggage? A guy would be stupid not to go for her."

And, with that, Minato flopped back down and closed his eyes. Hamuko stared at him.

"Oh my God," she said slowly. "You like her!"

"I never said that," Minato muttered.

"Hey," said Hamuko, turning to unpack her bags, "there's no shame in it, brother. Really. Like you said, Yukari is great. I approve wholeheartedly in your choice. And, after all, the Twin Sister Stamp of Approval is essential, right?"

She glanced at Minato for his reaction. But he was already asleep.

Hamuko smiled and shook her head. Honestly, the rate at which that boy could fall asleep was incredible.

Surprisingly, though, Hamuko had no trouble falling asleep herself. Nearly the instant her head hit the pillow, she was out. She slept soundly for several hours, without any weird dreams, without any grievances. It was the best night's sleep she had had in years.

…Or at least, it _would_have been. If not for what happened next.

**THURSDAY – 04/09/09**

_**The Dark Hour**_

Yukari, Minato and Chairman Ikutsuki sat in the control room, monitoring the Arisato twins' condition as they had before. Tonight, however, there was a change in the Chairman's demeanor. He was decidedly more upbeat than last night. Almost excited. Yukari kept shooting covert glances his way, fidgeting, hoping he would reveal whatever it was that was on his mind.

"Hmm…," said the Chairman at last, stroking his chin. "Very interesting."

"What's interesting?" said Yukari eagerly.

"At first, even those who have the potential tend to be unstable," the Chairman pointed out. "They experience memory loss, disorientation… But the Arisato twins haven't exhibited any of these symptoms. In this way, they're rather unique."

Yukari was deeply disappointed. She had expected the Chairman to tell them they were welcoming the Arisato twins onboard.

"We're treating them like guinea pigs…," she muttered, frustrated. The Chairman gave her a sympathetic look.

"I understand your concern," he told Yukari, "but it's imperative that we recruit new members as carefully as possible. And besides, Yukari – the Arisato twins are in your grade, aren't they? Wouldn't it be nice to work with someone your own age?"

"Of course it would," said Yukari quickly. "And I absolutely think they should join, but – well – I think they should join us on their own terms. I don't want them to feel coerced."

Mitsuru sighed. "Takeba…"

At that moment, an emergency call came in from outside. Mitsuru frowned.

"What could Akihiko want…?" she wondered aloud. She took the phone off the hook and answered, "Command room."

"You're not gonna believe this!" came Akihiko's voice from the other side. "This thing – it's huge!"

"Really?" said Mitsuru keenly. "Record its stats, Akihiko! Maybe we could study it further!"

"Sorry, but I don't have time for that," panted Akihiko. "It's chasing me."

"Then why on earth did you call us in the first place?" asked Mitsuru irritably.

"Well, I thought I'd better give you guys a heads-up," said Akihiko. "I didn't think I should just show up unannounced with –"

"Wait a minute!" cried Yukari, horrorstruck. "H-he's bringing that thing _here_?"

"Mr. Chairman!" barked Mitsuru, leaping to her feet. "Let's suspend observation for now – we have to prepare for battle!"

"R-right!" said the Chairman nervously. "Be careful, please!"

Mitsuru and Yukari rushed from the control room, hurtling down the stairs and stumbling to a stop in the lounge. They arrived just in time to see Akihiko stumble into the dorms. He was out of breath and drenched in sweat – as well as something that looked suspiciously like –

"Blood!" gasped Yukari, her hands flying to her mouth. "Senpai, you're –"

"Hurt?" said Akihiko dryly. "Yeah, Takeba, I noticed that on my own, thanks. Agh!" he cried suddenly, grasping at his ribs and collapsing to the floor. Yukari and Mitsuru hurried to his side.

"Are you alright?" asked Mitsuru, panicked. Akihiko wiped his sweating forehead with one shaking hand.

"'M fine," he muttered. He grinned devilishly. "I brought you a nice surprise, though. It should be here any second."

If he wasn't already injured, Mitsuru would have punched him.

"This is no time to joke around!" she said furiously. "Honestly, you're such a –"

The Chairman came into the lounge then, looking highly terrified. "Is it one of _them_, Akihiko?" he asked, wringing his hands.

"Definitely," said Akihiko, his eyes still ablaze with hunger. "But not an ordinary one. This one is –"

_BOOM!_

There struck a thunderous crash that rattled the whole building. Yukari screamed.

"What the…?" she cried. "Y-you've gotta be kidding me!"

"Mr. Chairman," said Mitsuru, "please head for the command room! Takeba, go upstairs and wake up the Arisato twins! Once you've collected them, I want the three of you to escape out the back!"

"B-but… what about you two?" asked Yukari anxiously.

"Don't worry," said Mitsuru bracingly. "We'll stop it here." She looked disapprovingly at Akihiko, who was nursing a bloody hand. "You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to help me fight it."

"Like I had a choice!" said Akihiko furiously. He turned his rage upon Yukari, who was still lingering at the edge of the lounge. "What the hell are you waiting for, Yukari? _Go_!"

"R-right!" yelped Yukari.

Meanwhile, Hamuko and Minato still lie in their beds, fast asleep. They both jolted awake at the sound of Yukari's panicked knocking.

"What's the matter?" said Hamuko groggily. "What's going on?"

"Dunno…," yawned Minato, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe it's an earthqu –"

"Wake up!" screamed Yukari's voice from the other side of the door.

"Yukari-san!" cried Hamuko, springing to her feet. "What's wrong?"

"Something horrible is happening!" said Yukari. "Sorry, but I'm coming in!"

And she burst through their bedroom door, wearing an expression of pure terror.

"Yukari-san, what's the matter?" asked Minato, leapint out of bed in turn. Yukari shook her head.

"I don't have time to explain!" she told the twins. "We have to get out of here! Now!"

"O-okay!" said Hamuko.

"We'll leave through the back door," said Yukari. "Hurry, get downstairs!"

Bewildered and frightened, Hamuko and Minato hurried from their room, and were almost at the staircase when –

"Wait!"

It was Yukari, and she was holding two long objects: a katana and a nagitana, which she tossed to Minato and Hamuko respectively.

"Take these," she told them, hurrying to their side. "Just in case."

"Um – alright!" said Hamuko, who didn't have time to wonder where on earth Yukari had gotten these weapons, let alone what they were supposed to use them for.

"Okay, let's go!" said Yukari, pushing past them. "Follow me!"

When they made it to the rear entrance of the first floor, Yukari breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright…," she said softly. "We should be safe now."

Hamuko and Minato could not see what she was so relieved about. Now that they were fully alert, they had both noticed the greenish light that was cast over everything around them. This was exactly the way things had looked the night they arrived in Iwatodai. Hamuko surveyed the dorms, swallowing hard.

Maybe Minato was right, after all. Maybe there really _was_something supernatural going on here.

But she didn't have time to think about it, because at that moment, Mitsuru's voice issued from a walkie-talkie that hung at Yukari's waist.

"_Takeba…?_" said Mitsuru's voice. "_Do you read me?_"

Yukari snatched the walkie-talkie from her belt, her fingers fumbling slightly. "Y-yes!" she said into the receiver. "I hear you!"

"Be careful!" said Mitsuru. "There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

Minato's swallowed. _Enemy…? Fighting?_

What the hell was happening here?

"A-are you serious?" said Yukari, looking like she might be sick.

_BOOM!_

A second crash nearly knocked Yukari, Hamuko and Minato to their knees. Beads of sweat were forming on Yukari's forehead.

"L-let's pull back!" she gasped.

But if Yukari thought the second floor would be safer than the first, she was sorely mistaken. The rumbling crashes seemed to be getting more and more intense.

"It's getting closer!" said Yukari. "We've gotta keep moving!"

_I could've told you that!_ Hamuko thought exasperatedly, hurrying up the second floor staircase, bypassing the third floor and heading straight to the rooftop. The door, which was usually locked, was miraculously ajar. Pushing through it, Hamuko stood atop the Gekkoukan roof, panting slightly.

"The roof?" said Minato, once he and Yukari had caught up. "Why here?"

"I don't know," said Hamuko, panicking. "I just thought it'd be safer than inside!"

"Well, the door is locked," said Yukari. "I think we should be safe for now…"

"Yukari-san," said Minato, looking her straight in the eye, "what's happening here? Why did you give us these weapons? And why did you bring _those_?"

Hamuko only noticed them as her brother pointed them out: In addition to the walkie-talkie, Yukari had two gleaming silver pistols hanging from her belt.

"T-these?" stammered Yukari, her eyes wide. "I – uh – I brought them just in case."

Truthfully, the extra was an evoker the Chairman had had made especially for Hamuko, but Yukari had brought it along in case she herself slipped up somehow.

"Yukari-san," said Hamuko. "I think we deserve to know the truth."

Yukari looked from Hamuko's pleading eyes to Minato's steely ones. She bit her trembling lip. She couldn't lie to them. She just couldn't.

"…Okay," she whispered, shutting her eyes. "Mitsuru-senpai is gonna kill me for this, but…"

"_Grraaaaah…_"

Yukari's eyes flew open at the sound of the awful, groaning roar.

"Wha…!" she cried. "What was that?"

Then – as though in response to her question –

A single hand, long-fingered and blacker than tar, grasped at the edge of the roof, feeling around the rooftop – a second hand followed shortly after, clutching a bluish-white mask – the hand turned the mask from left to right, as though it was looking around.

"H-heh," said Hamuko weakly. "K-kinda funny, isn't it?"

And five more arms sprang up from nowhere, each of them clutching a six-foot-long sword.

"Looks like you spoke too soon," mumbled Minato.

It crawled up over the wall, slowly, inhumanly, dragging its globular body with its grotesquely long arms. Hamuko, Minato and Yukari watched in horror as the monster, massive, ugly, and terrifying, positioned itself in front of them. It loomed before them, leering down with a vacant, mask-like face.

"You gotta be kidding me…!" said Yukari, as the monster approached.

On the ground below, Akihiko, Mitsuru and the Chairman watched the massive Shadow as it edged Yukari and the others into a corner.

"There!" snarled Akihiko. "It's got them on the rooftop!"

"That gigantic Shadow!" murmured Mitsuru. "Just what exactly is it that we're dealing with?"

"Who cares?" snapped Akihiko. "We've gotta go help them!"

"Wait!"

Mitsuru and Akihiko turned, astonished, at the Chairman's request. He was staring very seriously at the screen of a portable device.

"What do you mean, _wait_?" said Akihiko urgently. "They'll die if we don't help them!"

"Maybe not…," said the Chairman softly. "Look…"

Sure enough, something extraordinary was happening on the rooftop. Yukari had removed one of the guns from its holster and was staring determinedly at the monster before her.

"You wanted to know the truth, didn't you?" she asked the Arisato twins fiercely. "Well, here it is. That thing in front of us is the thing that attacked this place. We call it a Shadow!"

"A Shadow…?" repeated Minato.

"Okay, fine!" said Hamuko. "What do we do to get it to go away?"

Yukari gulped. "I – I have to fight it."

"Are you nuts?" shouted Hamuko, rounding on her. "It'll rip you to shreds!"

"No," said Yukari, her chin shaking slightly as she said it. "I can do it… I can fight it off…"

Yukari grasped the gun in her hands, raising it – but her sweating fingers slipped and it clattered to the ground.

"Damn it!" she growled, snatching the other gun from her hip.

Minato and Hamuko watched in horror as Yukari raised the gun in her violently trembling hands – and pointed it directly to her forehead.

"Yukari-san!" cried Minato, horrified.

Yukari's eyes opened. Her head snapped around. Her gaze met Minato's for a brief second. Then –

"_Yukari-san!_"

Hamuko screamed as the monster aimed a massive fireball at Yukari, knocking her ten feet backward. Yukari lay in a crumpled heap on the pavement, unconscious, slightly charred, but otherwise miraculously alive.

"Hamuko!" shouted Minato, terrified. "What do we do now?"

Hamuko turned her attention to Yukari's gun, which had fallen very close to the other one. She scrambled forward, retrieving both guns and tossing one to her brother. Minato stared at it bewilderedly.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he demanded of Hamuko. "Somehow, I don't think bullets are going to work on that thing!"

"I don't think it shoots bullets!" said Hamuko. "Remember the first day we got here, Mina? Mitsuru-senpai told us these weren't real guns!"

"Oh, fantastic," said Minato. "That makes me feel _loads_ better, sis, thanks a billion."

"Don't you get it?" said Hamuko impatiently. "What Yukari-san was doing just now – pointing the gun to her head – I think _that's_what they're meant for! I think we need to do what she just did!"

"_Are you completely out of your mind_?" Minato rarely shouted like this; the sound was foreign to Hamuko's ears. "_You really expect me to shoot myself in the head_?"

Hamuko looked to Minato, her auburn eyes uncharacteristically hard.

"Trust me," she told Minato, her voice absolutely calm. Minato blinked. Somehow, utterly inexplicably, he felt much calmer.

"Okay…," he murmured.

The twins faced the Shadow once more, wearing identical expressions of determination. In unison, Hamuko and Minato raised the guns and pointed them to their temples. They shut their eyes. They took deep breaths. Hamuko opened one eye, glancing sideways. The little boy in the striped pajamas was standing some ten yards away. He smiled at Hamuko.

"Go on," he said, nodding encouragingly.

Then, without knowing why, both Minato and Hamuko spoke a single word:

"_Per…so…na._"

_CRASH!_

The moment they pulled their triggers, Minato and Hamuko felt weightless, free, like their souls had fled their bodies and were floating over the earth. When they finally opened their eyes, they saw the two miraculous, nearly identical entities that had come from within them, hovering over their heads, casting a warm, protective glow over them.

Minato did not know why, but he knew these must be Personae. He had never felt surer of anything in his life.

_"Thou art I..."_said Minato's Persona.

_"...and I art thou,"_said Hamuko's Persona in turn.

_"From the sea of thine souls, we cometh,"_chorused the Personae. _"We are Orpheus and Orpheus Telos, masters of strings."_

And with that, the Personae went forth and struck the Shadow, again and again and again, in flashes of brilliant crimson and devastating flame. The Shadow fought valiantly back. Minato and Hamuko stood at the edge of the battle, somehow governing their Personae's movements by sheer will alone.

And as Minato battled the Shadow, he wondered what he had ever been afraid of in the first place. This wasn't the least bit scary. As a matter of fact, it was _exhilarating._He had never felt so free, so powerful, so… so…

...Wait, what?

Something felt wrong, horribly wrong. Breaking his concentration for half a second, Minato stole a glance at his sister. His stomach lurched.

Hamuko looked completely demented.

Her eyes were wild. Her body was shaking. Her jaw was set in a hard line. What was worse was the sight of her Persona. It, too, seemed to be going berserk.

"Hamuko!" shouted Minato, in a desperate attempt to calm Hamuko down. "You need to pull back! You're using too much of your power!"

But Hamuko would not relent. "No…," she growled, narrowing her eyes. "I… can't… I can't stop…"

"Hamuko! _Hamuko_!"

And, with a great, shuddering cry, Hamuko's Persona distorted, crumbled and combusted, giving way to something much greater, much more terrible than even the Shadow in front of them. The Shadow gave a shriek, spinning around and attempting to flee – but the awful Persona apprehended the Shadow, tearing it apart like it was nothing. The Persona did not stop until every inch of the Shadow had been decimated. Then, looking to the moon, it gave a bellow of pure anguish and vanished in a pool of light.

Minato stood staring at the point where the Persona had just been, his breath coming ragged and shallow, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Gulping, he looked to Hamuko. She looked like her normal self again. In fact, she did not seem to remember anything that had happened in the past five or so minutes.

Yukari stirred, sitting upright. She blinked at the twins, who were now leaning on each other for support.

"What happened?" she asked, staggering to her feet. "Where'd the Shadow go?"

She gasped in horror as Hamuko and Minato, sharing victorious grins, collapsed on one another, completely knocked out. Minato's thoughts remained briefly rooted in reality, even as the darkness came closing in on him.

"H-hey!" cried Yukari's faint voice. He felt her warm hand on his cheek. "Are you alright!"

Minato's smile broadened. Oh, he was alright. In fact, he was better than alright.

This was the best he had ever felt in his life.

And, on that note of elation, Minato was lost to the darkness completely.


	4. Chapter 4: First Day Of My Life

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**First Day of My Life**

"_Now I don't know where I am_

_I don't know where I've been_

_But I know where I want to go."_

_Bright Eyes_

**SUNDAY – 04/11/09**

"…Very interesting."

Six strangers stood on the empty rooftop, keenly observing what ordinary people could not see. There had been a Shadow here a few nights ago. It had been destroyed violently, and without hesitation. This was the mark of true skill. And awful power. It made the strangers nervous just thinking about it.

"Kratos," said the tallest stranger – the boy who had observed Akihiko nights before. "What's your assessment?"

The boy named Kratos considered it in silence. "The target is a young girl. This was the first time her Persona awakened."

"Wait, _what_?" said another figure sharply, the tallest of the four girls. "You mean to say this was her first battle _ever_?"

"Correct, Aya-chan," said Kratos, in his smooth, flat voice. "It was also her brother's."

"Twin Persona-users…," muttered Noritaka, thoughtfully.

"And twin Personae," said Kratos. "Hers is Orpheus. His is Orpheus Adelphos – meaning 'brother of Orpheus.' It is as though the boy's persona exists only because his sister's does."

"Have you ever seen anything like it, Noritaka?" Aya asked the tall boy seriously. "In any of your aunt's research?"

"It's unusual," admitted Noritaka. "What's more unusual, though, is her Persona's gender. Typically, a user's Persona reflects his or her own gender. But Orpheus…"

"It's a dude's name, right?" asked a girl, fiddling with the ends of her long, pink pigtails.

"Eloquently put, Emi-chan," Kratos said, with a rare smile. "However, you are correct. In mythology, Orpheus is decidedly male."

"Then why is he attached to a girl?" asked Aya, frustrated. Noritaka shook his head.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Why does it matter?" asked the littlest figure, in a bored voice. "The point is there are other Persona-users out there. That means we'll need to be even more careful than before."

"Always the optimist, eh, Suri-chan?" said Emiko, ruffling Suri's pale blue hair. Little Suri ducked Emiko's hand, scowling.

"Don't treat me like a kid…," she muttered.

Noritaka tapped his chin thoughtfully with one finger. "In any case," he said seriously, "we'll need to monitor them for a while. Make sure they're not doing anything they shouldn't be."

"It's not a problem," said Aya. "I'll just come back here every night for a few weeks. You'll come with me, won't you, Nami?"

She turned to look at her younger sister. But the girl wasn't there. Aya scowled.

"Damn it, Manami!" she growled. "Where do you always run off to?"

Manami was, in fact, sitting on a bench at Port Island station, sipping morosely on a taro boba. It was her favorite, but somehow, it didn't taste as good as usual. Manami wondered if your taste buds could be killed by sheer boredom alone. She wondered if victims of Apathy Syndrome could taste anything at all.

"Meow."

Manami glanced down to see a huge, somewhat smug-looking ginger cat sitting at her feet, looking up at her. She smiled.

"Onekosama," she murmured, scratching the cat's fluffy head. "Long time, no see."

The cat leapt up and sat beside Manami, licking his paw. Manami stroked him absently, twirling his tufts of orange hair into tiny dreads.

"I wish they would open their minds," she said, finally vocalizing what had been bothering her, "but they just won't listen. They think anyone who isn't with us is against us, but who's to say that's true? Who's to say there aren't other Persona-users who want to help us? Who's to say Sanada –"

She caught herself, blushing. It wasn't appropriate to speak his name in public, especially since she didn't even know him.

Manami sighed, standing up. "Come on, Onekosama," she said, allowing the cat to lumber up onto her shoulders. "You're coming home with me tonight."

"Meow," said the cat smugly.

Manami marched away from the bench, fixated on Akihiko Sanada and these new twin Persona-users. She was so distracted, she did not notice the way Onekosama's yellow eyes were glued to a lone figure, leaning against a wall in a nearby alley. Onekosama readied himself. His muscles tensed. His tail flicked back and forth. His eyes narrowed. Then, when Manami brought him close enough…

"_Ow_! The fuck was that…?"

Manami gasped, twirling around to see that Onekosama had sailed several feet through the air and landed on a stranger's back. Onekosama clung to the stranger, his claws embedded deeply in the burgundy fabric of his long pea coat. The cat looked over his shoulder at Manami.

"Meow," he said, apparently very pleased with himself.

"No!" said Manami, horrified, hurrying to the stranger's aid. "We do _not_jump on people! Bad cat!"

"Get this thing off me!" growled Onekosama's victim. "Seriously, it's really starting to hurt!"

Deftly, Manami pried Onekosama's claws out of the boy's jacket, holding him tightly in her arms so he could not escape again.

"That's a bad cat, Onekosama," she scolded the cat. "That's a very. Bad. _Cat_."

"That's a _cat_?" said the boy in angry disbelief. "What does it weigh, fifty pounds?"

"Meow," said Onekosama indignantly.

"I'm really sorry," Manami told the boy earnestly. "Onekosama usually isn't like this. He's actually a really nice cat!"

"Guess I just bring out the bad in him," muttered the boy, turning to face Manami.

He was a very tall boy, strong in build with a hard jaw. His long, dark hair was covered with a black beanie, pulled so low over his eyes that Manami could not see them at first. After a second, though, when the boy adjusted his beanie and stared at her, she saw that they were a steely flint color. Manami suppressed a gasp.

He was a Persona-user.

There was no doubt about it. The moment their eyes met, a surge of power coursed from his mind to hers. It was faint, though, and slightly unstable. Like it was locked away, somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Manami snapped to attention to see that the boy was looking very seriously at her. She tried very hard to look nonchalant.

"I'm fine," she told the boy evenly. "Why?"

"I dunno," said the boy, "you were staring at me for like a whole minute without saying anything…"

"Guess I just spaced out," said Manami brightly. "Thank you for your concern, though."

The boy scowled. "…Who said I was concerned?" he mumbled. "Look, I'm taking off, but lemme give you some advice: Learn to control your psycho cat."

"He's not _my_cat," said Manami. "He just lives with us sometimes. And he's not psycho, either," she added defensively.

"Well, whatever," growled the boy. He pushed past them, hands in pockets, and made for the street. But after he had gone about twenty paces, he halted, turned over his shoulder and said, almost unwillingly,

"You know, you really shouldn't be here by yourself so late at night. It's dangerous."

And with that, he stalked off into the night.

Manami stood still for a while after that, a smile lingering on her lips. Onekosama purred contentedly in her arms.

"You clever cat," Manami told him, patting his head. "You knew he was like me, didn't you? You know how lonely I am. You wanted me to meet him."

"Meow," said Onekosama, nuzzling her shoulder.

Manami's smile widened. So Noritaka and her sister would not allow her to contact Akihiko Sanada. Okay, fine. She would play good girl and abide by their rules. But they did not know about this new boy. Of that she was one hundred percent certain. He had masked his power so well, she doubted even Kratos could pick up on it. It was lucky, really, that she had caught that glimmer of his hidden spirit when he looked her in the eye.

But all of that was irrelevant. The important thing was that she recognized this boy's power. And now that she knew he existed, there was nothing to stop her from making contact with him.

Suddenly feeling much better than she had before, Manami stroked Onekosama's fur and started on the journey home.

"Good cat, Onekosama," she murmured as she went. "That's a very good cat."

Meanwhile, Shinjiro Aragaki sat alone in his apartment, staring at the wall.

He was rattled.

That girl in the alley… The way she had looked at him with those bright, discerning eyes… It was like she knew his deepest secrets. Like she could see each ugly detail of his soul.

Shinjiro shuddered. He hoped he never ran into her again.

Still, there was a twinge of nagging anxiety in the back of his mind that told him he had been wrong to leave her there. Cute little girl like her… they would tear her apart if they ever got a hold on her. It was irresponsible of him to assume she could fend for herself if she needed to. Maybe she was still there – His place was only a few blocks away from the station – Maybe if he went back and got her, he could –

But he shook himself, scowling. No. It was a mistake to get involved in other people's problems. Hell, he had enough problems of his own. Whatever happened to that girl and her stupid cat, it was none of his business.

So Shinjiro stood up, showered, lie down in bed and promised himself not to think of the girl and her cat again.

Which, of course, meant he spent the entire night thinking about them.

**FRIDAY – 04/17/09**

"Master Hamuko. It's so nice to see you again."

Hamuko found herself in the Velvet Room once more. This time, however, she was certain that this was much more than a dream. With that knowledge, it was a completely different experience from before. She felt wholly at ease with her surroundings. She watched Igor calmly from across the room.

"I'm unconscious, aren't I?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Correct. You passed out shortly after awakening to your power," said Igor. "It's nothing to worry about, though, so you can relax."

Nodding, Hamuko sank into an armchair across from Igor. He laced his fingers together under his chin, scrutinizing her.

"By the way," he said at length, "I see that it was Orpheus who heeded your call."

"Yes," said Hamuko. "Does he – er – she have anything to do with my special power?"

"You might as well know now," said Igor. "Orpheus _is_your special power."

"What do you mean?" asked Hamuko, her brow furrowed.

"Orpheus is a Persona," said Igor. "A manifestation of your psyche."

Hamuko shook her head. "I don't understand."

"It may take you a while to fully comprehend," said Igor. "A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

"Sorry," said Hamuko, "but I'm still lost."

Igor chuckled. "You will understand in time, Young Master. You have already grown so much. That being said, your power is still weak…"

"What d'you mean, weak?" said Hamuko defensively. "Minato and I destroyed that giant monster, didn't we?"

"Maybe so, but you are not nearly as strong as you could be," said Igor. "You see, Young Master, when you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your emotional ties with others. The stronger your relationships, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

"Hang on," said Hamuko, thoroughly nonplussed. "So you're telling me I can become stronger just by making _friends_?"

"Correct," said Igor.

Hamuko sank back in her seat, bewildered. It _sounded_simple, sure. But making friends was a lot easier said than done. Especially when you were the new kid in a big-city private school.

"Now, then...," said Igor, with a backward glance at the giant clock. "Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then... Farewell."

And everything dissolved into darkness.

"_Minato… Minato…"_

_Minato__paused, one foot on the pedal of his tricycle, and glanced over his shoulder. Mommy was standing on the front steps of their house, her hands on her hips._

"_What are you doing, silly boy?" she chastised Minato fondly. "You know you aren't allowed to ride your bike without Mommy or Daddy to help you."_

"_I'm right here, Hinako."_

_Daddy stepped out so Mommy could see him and waved at her, grinning brilliantly. She threw up her hands in exasperation._

"_Well, for heaven's sake, Benjirou! At least let me know you're there so I'm not worried!"_

"_Sorry, dear," Daddy chuckled. "But hey, with a bit of practice, our little Mina might be able to ride all by himself soon. Isn't that right, Mina?"_

"_You bet!" said Minato fiercely. "I'ma be the best tricycle rider in the neighborhood!"_

_Daddy laughed, a deep, rolling laugh that shook his chest. "Come here, you little wild thing," he growled, scooping Minato in his arms and spinning him in the air. Minato giggled, kicking his short little legs and waving his fat little hands over his head._

"_Mommy, look!" he cried jubilantly. "I'm flying!"_

"_So you are!" said Mommy, with a musical laugh. "My little astronaut."_

_Daddy sighed, hugging Minato tightly to his chest. "Mommy and I love you very much, son," he murmured, patting Minato's head. "Your sister, too."_

"_I know," said Minato, who wanted very much to get back to playing. Daddy held him at arms' length, smiling._

"_As long as we have each other, nothing bad will ever happen to us. Because we're a family. And in a family, everyone does their equal share in protecting each other. Always remember that, son."_

_Minato__stared back into his father's eyes, wide and blue like his own. He nodded._

"_I'll remember, Daddy."_

Minato jerked awake, blinking blearily. He felt like he had been asleep forever. Sitting up, he glanced around to realize he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. He frowned, rubbed his eyes – and started slightly when he realized they were wet.

"You're awake!"

At the sound of Yukari's voice in the doorway, Minato hastily wiped his eyes with the corner of his sheet. Yukari hurried to his bedside, clutching two Cielo Mists. She looked both elated and on the verge of tears.

"Yukari-san…," said Minato, his voice cracked and hoarse. Yukari smiled.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Alright," said Minato. "A little tired, but I'm always tired. Where are we?"

"Tatsumi Memorial Hospital," said Yukari. "You may have seen it before; it's a short walk from the station."

"Oh…," was all Minato could manage to say.

"Thank goodness you're awake," said Yukari, sinking down into the chair next to him. She scowled suddenly. "How much sleep do you need, anyway? It's been a whole week!"

"A week?" said Minato incredulously. "Really?"

"Really!" said Yukari. "I was so worried about you…"

Minato felt his cheeks glowing.

"Have you been here the whole time, Yukari-san…?" he asked her shyly.

It was Yukari's turn to blush.

"W-well, you saved my life," she mumbled. "I couldn't just leave you here alone…"

"Speaking of which," said Minato, his shyness forgotten, "what happened to Hamuko?"

"She's fine," said Yukari. "She actually woke up yesterday. She's getting lunch right now with Misuru-senpai."

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with either of you," said Yukari. "They said you were both just exhausted. But you just kept sleeping and sleeping. I thought you'd never wake up. Do you know how worried I was?"

"You may've mentioned it," said Minato, smiling slightly.

Suddenly, Yukari looked solemn. "Um… I'm sorry about before."

"Sorry?" said Minato, blinking confusedly. "What for?"

"I couldn't do anything," said Yukari, staring hard at her knees. "Even though I was supposed to protect you, I…"

Minato reached out, touching her wrist lightly. She looked up at him, startled.

"Don't worry about it," he told her quietly. "Honestly, you have nothing to be sorry for."

Yukari smiled tremulously. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," said Minato, returning her smile.

Yukari seemed to have perked up considerably. "But your power," she said to Minato, radiating enthusiasm. "It was amazing! Even the Chairman said he's never seen anything like it before!"

"What'd we even do?" asked Minato.

"The power you guys used? It's called 'Persona'," explained Yukari. "We use it to defeat the Shadows – our enemies."

That power… Minato wondered suddenly if it had anything to do with his sister's strange dream.

"We'll explain it in detail later," said Yukari. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I – uh- I hope you, Hamuko-san and I can be friends."

"Okay," said Minato. "I'd like that."

"Great," said Yukari. "Because – Well, I already told Hamuko-san this, but – I'm sorta like you."

Minato frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Yukari fidgeted, unwilling to meet Minato's gaze. "Well… My dad died in an accident when I was little... And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms…"

"I'm sorry…," said Minato, because he did not know what else to say." Yukari nodded.

"You and Hamuko-san are all alone too, right?" she asked. "To be honest, I already know about your past. But it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine. It happened in 1999. There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but…Well, nobody really knows what happened. He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group."

"I see…," said Minato. "Is that why you're here, Yukari-san?"

"Sort of," admitted Yukari. "I guess I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find something out about my dad. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you. Of course, I panicked," she added bitterly, "so I wasn't much help. It was my first time fighting them, too."

Yukari sighed heavily. "I'm sorry," she told Minato again. "You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward."

"I told you," said Minato, "you have nothing to be sorry for. And you are _not_a coward, Yukari-san. When that Shadow showed up, I was terrified, too."

Yukari finally looked up, her eyes alight with hope. "Really?"

"Really," said Minato.

Yukari chuckled sheepishly. "And here I am, telling you all of this the second you wake up," she said. "It's just… While I was waiting, I thought to myself, 'I've been hiding so many things from him... As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.' So… thanks for listening. I've wanted to share that story with someone for a long time."

Minato really felt for her. Yukari must really trust him to tell him such a personal story…

"Alright," said Yukari abruptly, "I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? Be a good patient! And don't hesitate to call the nurse. I'm sure she'll take good care of you."

And with that, she left the room. Minato yawned and sunk back into the bed, shutting his eyes. After all, he had already slept a week…what could a couple more hours hurt?

**MONDAY – 04/20/09**

The first day back at school was looking to be a very good one.

At least, that's what Hamuko and Minato thought when they stepped off the light rail. Maybe it was due to prolonged absence. But Gekkoukan looked more beautiful than ever, gleaming in the April sun.

…Then again, Minato thought, maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had recently been awakened to incredible superpowers.

He and Hamuko barely made it five steps down the walkway when someone snatched them both by their shoulder bags, yanking them gracelessly backward. It was Junpei Iori. And he looked torn between excitement and extreme concern.

"Yo!" he said indignantly. "Where the hell've you two been?"

"In the hospital," said Minato, readjusting his book bag. Junpei's eyes widened.

"_In the hospital_?" he repeated, turning his gaze to the heavens. "You mean you were both in the hospital, and neither of you thought to drop your ol' pal Junpei a line? I was worried sick about you two!"

"Sorry, Junpei-kun," said Hamuko, bemused. "I didn't realize you cared so much!"

"Well, 'course I care!" said Junpei, clapping Hamuko and Minato on their shoulders. "I'm your buddy, aren't I? Anyway," he added smugly, lowering his voice, "there's something I gotta tell ya."

"What's up?"asked Minato.

Junpei bit his lower lip, grinning mischievously. "Actually… I'm not s'posed to say anything! Sorry, bros!"

And he burst into a fit of giggles. At that moment, Yukari came up alongside them, rolling her eyes.

"Someone's full of energy today," she said crabbily. "I could hear you from all the way over there."

"Hey, Yuka-tan!" said Junpei, still giggling. "You three live in the same dorm, but you came separately today. Why's that, hm? You afraid of starting more rumors?"

"No," said Yukari flatly. "I just left a little late, that's all. And anyway, I came over here because I need to talk to them. In private. So buh-bye, Junpei."

"Alright, alright," said Junpei. And he walked away, the sound of his giggles growing fainter and fainter with each step he took.

"What's with him?" asked Hamuko. "He seems awfully giddy today."

"Well… It _is_4/20…," said Minato with a shrug.

"He's hopeless, that's what's up with him," said Yukari. "But what about you two? Are you feeling better?"

"Loads," said Hamuko. "Thank you, Yukari-san."

Yukari turned to Minato. "And… what about you… Minato-kun?" she asked, her cheeks flushing as she spoke his name.

Minato blinked. "Er – I feel great, Yukari-san," he said, somewhat bashfully. She smiled in relief.

"That's good…"

They smiled shyly at each other for several uninterrupted seconds. Finally, Hamuko cleared her throat.

"So what is it you wanted to tell us, Yukari-san?" she asked pointedly.

"Oh – right!" said Yukari, looking embarrassed. "Um… Sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today."

"The Chairman?" said Hamuko. "What for?"

"Sorry, but I can't say anything else," said Yukari. "Just come to the fourth floor of the dorm after school today, okay? Don't forget!"

And with a wave, she hurried off to the archery club room. Minato watched her run away, a smile still on his lips. Hamuko nudged him to attention.

"C'mon, Romeo," she said exasperatedly. "We're gonna be late for class."

After school, Minato and Hamuko returned to the dorms and climbed to the fourth floor. There was only one room there; assuming they were meant to go inside, Hamuko and Minato entered without knocking. They found the Chairman on the other side, sitting with Mitsuru, Yukari, and a handsome boy whom Hamuko and Minato had never met. The Chairman grinned broadly at the twins as they came forward.

"Ah, there you are," he said. "I'm glad you're both okay. I didn't think I'd ever forgive myself if something happened to you two."

"Oh – er – thank you, Ikutsuki-san," said Hamuko, taken aback by this display of paternal affection.

"Not at all," said the Chairman warmly. "Now, let's get down to business… The reason I asked you to come here is because I need to talk to you both about a job."

"A job?" echoed Minato. "Like work study?"

The unfamiliar boy chuckled. "Not exactly…"

"I'll explain everything in detail," said the Chairman. "Please, have a seat."

Minato and Hamuko did as instructed, waiting patiently for an explanation.

"Now, for starters," said the Chairman, "I believe I mentioned him earlier, but you've never met him. This is Akihiko Sanada."

"How ya doin'?" asked Akihiko, smiling directly at Hamuko. For a split second, she was slightly stunned.

"I'm super," she said dreamily. "Thanks for asking."

Minato narrowed his eyes. Great. As if he didn't have enough trouble on his hands, here was this Don Juan living under the same roof as his sister.

"Don't worry," Yukari muttered in Minato's ear, apparently picking up on his wariness. "Senpai is good-looking, but once you get to know him, he's painfully awkward. I don't think Hamuko-san will be interested."

"Okay," said the Chairman. "Now that the introductions are taken care of, let me ask you this: Would either of you believe me if I told you a day consists of more than just twenty-four hours?"

"At this point, Ikutsuki-san," said Minato flatly, "I think we're willing to believe anything."

Everyone laughed.

"I have to say, I'm surprised by your reaction," said Mitsuru, smiling. "Although I suppose you have experienced the truth first-hand."

"You're talking about the first night we came here, aren't you?" said Hamuko. "The coffins… the blood on the streets… the green moon…"

"The streetlights went out, too," added Minato. "And nothing was working. It felt like… like…"

"Like we were in a different time," Hamuko finished for him.

"Yes," said Mitsuru. "These are all signs of the Dark Hour, a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Hidden?" said Minato, a slight crease forming between his brows.

"Most people aren't aware of it when it happens," said the Chairman. "However, the Dark Hour does exist. And it does happen, every night at midnight."

"Wow…," murmured Hamuko. "How come they've never said anything about this on the news?"

"Because they have no clue it's going on," said Akihiko. "Normal people can't experience the Dark Hour. Once midnight strikes, they're Transmogrified into coffins and they sleep through the whole thing without realizing it. But," he added, smirking, "that's not even the interesting part."

"And… what _is_the interesting part?" asked Minato. Akihiko's smirk turned into a full-blown, ravenous grin.

"You saw those creatures," he said. "Shadows, as we call them. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and they attack any poor sap that hasn't been Transmogrified. But that's where we come in. As Persona-users, it's our job to defeat the Shadows! Pretty exciting, huh?"

Minato had to admit, it _did_sound exciting. But Mitsuru did not look at all pleased.

"Akihiko!" she barked. "Why are you always like this? You just got injured the other day, and yet you still insist on treating this like some stupid children's game!"

"Now, now!" interjected the Chairman, as Akihiko readied a retort. "He does his work well."

Behind the Chairman's back, Akihiko stuck his tongue out at Mitsuru. Mitsuru looked like she might strangle him.

"Long story short," the Chairman went on, oblivious to the hostility, "we call ourselves the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – or, for short, S.E.E.S. On paper, we're classified as a school club, but in reality, this group is dedicated to the extermination of the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader; I'm club advisor."

"Shadows, you see, don't kill people," Mitsuru cut in. "They feed on the minds of their prey, turning them into a living corpse."

"So they're like Dementors," said Minato.

Everyone stared at him.

"Really?" said Minato, blinking. "Harry Potter? No one?" When nobody spoke up, he shook his head. "What sad, sad childhoods you must have had."

"Er – In any case," Mitsuru went on, "the Shadows are responsible for most of the incidents reported in the news, if not all of them. I'm sure you've both heard about Apathy Syndrome."

"Of course," said Hamuko. "But where do Mina and I factor into all of this?"

"Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour," said the Chairman. "Some even awaken to a power that allows them to fight the Shadows."

"Persona," said Minato at once. "That's what happened to us the other night."

"You learn fast!" said Akihiko, impressed.

"And a good thing, too," said the Chairman. "Persona-users are the only ones that can defeat the Shadows; we need all the help we can get."

Hamuko and Minato exchanged excited glances.

"Are you… asking us to join you?" asked Minato, with the air of one accepting a marriage proposal. In response, Mitsuru opened the gleaming silver briefcase on the table before them. A pair of silver guns glimmered uncannily on the inside.

"That's exactly what we're asking you," she said straightforwardly. "We've prepared two Evokers for you. We'd like you both to lend us your strength. If you're willing, that is."

"Are you kidding?" yelped Hamuko, springing for her Evoker. "Of course we'll join!"

Yukari breathed a sigh of relief. "I was afraid you'd say no!"

"Not on your life," said Minato, taking his own Evoker gingerly from the briefcase. "Hamu and I are happy to help in any way we can."

"Thanks, you guys," said Yukari, beaming. "And welcome aboard!"

"Yes, thank you so much," agreed the Chairman. "I'm really glad you both consented. Oh – and I almost forgot! About your room assignment, Minato…"

"Yes?" said Minato, snapping to attention.

"We've prepared a room for you directly below the one you're in now," said the Chairman. "From now on, you'll be staying at the end of the hall on the boys' floor, if that's all right with you."

Minato nodded. "Of course." He didn't look it, but he was ecstatic about all of this. A fancy gun, a sweet job and a new room all in one night. This was better than any birthday he had ever had.

Hamuko was riding the same high as Minato. After days of uncertainty, days of wondering what their place was, she and Minato had _finally_gotten their answer. She felt like this was a fresh start, the first day of her new life. She finally had a purpose, something to turn to when she was lost and needed guidance. She had a roof over her head and new friends she could trust. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"You must be tired," said Akihiko. "I'll let you guys go to sleep in a second; first, though, there's someone I want you to meet."

And he leapt from his seat, crossing the room in a few short strides and vanishing from sight. Yukari shared quizzical glances with Hamuko.

"Er – Mitsuru-senpai?" said Yukari. "What's going on?"

"You'll see," said Mitsuru, smiling.

"Hey…," came Akihiko's exasperated voice from outside the door. "Hurry up, would you?"

"Hold your horses!" grunted a familiar voice. "This thing is freakin' heavy!"

Yukari, Hamuko and Minato all looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"No," said Yukari, shaking her head in horror. "No way. It can't be him!"

But it was.

Junpei Iori stood in the doorway, clutching an overstuffed suitcase and clutching at a stitch in his side. When he straightened up, Hamuko saw that he was positively glowing.

"Whazzup?" he said, chuckling.

"Junpei!" groaned Yukari, her worst fears realized. "What are _you_doing here?"

"He's gonna be staying here as of tonight," said Akihiko.

"He's staying _here_?" repeated Yukari. "You mean to tell me I have to live under the same roof as Mr. Poster-Boy-For-Sexual-Harassment?"

"Hey!" said Junpei, scandalized. "Since when am I the poster boy for sexual harassment?"

Yukari ignored him. "Please, Senpai," she implored of Akihiko. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Nope," chuckled Akihiko. "Sorry, Yukari, but he's here to stay. I bumped into him the other night, while I was patrolling for Shadows. He has the potential, although he only awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to join right away."

"_He_has the potential?" Yukari seemed incapable of accepting anything that came from Akihiko's mouth. "For real?"

"Fo' rizzeal," said Junpei solemnly. "He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I mean, I don't remember much, but… man, that's embarrassing!"

He laughed despite himself.

"He said that's completely normal, though, in the beginning," Junpei went on. "Like bein' confused and not remembering anything. Didja guys know that?"

Minato almost said, "But I wasn't confused at all." But he didn't want to kill Junpei's buzz, so instead he only nodded.

"That's good," said Junpei. "You should, since you're a Persona-user, too. But man," he added fervently, "I was shocked to find out about you guys! I had no idea. Glad I'm not the only one, though. It could get kinda lonely, y'know?"

"Totally," agreed Hamuko. "We're glad you're coming aboard, too, Junpei-kun!" Junpei smiled winningly.

"Bet you're glad to have a guy onboard too, eh?" he said, nudging her playfully. "I mean, a guy who's _not_ your brother and _not_totally out of your league."

_Oh, that's nice_, thought Hamuko peevishly. Akihiko, meanwhile, was blushing slightly.

"You shouldn't say things like that!" he snarled, whacking Junpei across the top of his head. Junpei winced.

"Okay, okay!" he said. "Geez, it was only a joke…"

Akihiko shook his head. "Honestly, Iori, don't make me regret dragging your ass away from that convenience store."

"Well," Mitsuru broke in, getting to her feet, "now that Iori's been properly introduced, you'd all better get to bed. Tomorrow night is a big night. You'll need all the strength you can muster."

On that note, the members of S.E.E.S. departed to their individual rooms. Hamuko snuggled into her sheets that night, feeling much warmer and more secure than she had the night before. Now that she had her purpose, she felt there was nothing that could bring her down. She finally was a part of something. A piece of a whole. After years of drifting in limbo, between foster parents and school transfers, it felt unbelievably nice to have something permanent she could cling to.

…And if that permanent something was fighting evil monsters, what did that matter? What was important was the fact that it was there. She could depend on the members of S.E.E.S., and they in turn could depend on her.

And she would do her best to keep up her end of the bargain. Even if it meant forfeiting her life.


	5. Chapter 5: Holy Holy

**CHAPTER 5**

**Holy Holy**

"_Furthest choice and secrets our hearts store_

_We are the only way in my real world"_

_Wye Oak_

That night, as she was dozing off, Hamuko felt someone's presence.

Warily, she rolled over and opened one eye very slightly. What she saw almost made her fall off the bed in shock.

It was the boy in the striped pajamas.

"Hi!" said the boy brightly, as though he mysteriously appeared in people's bedrooms on a daily basis. "How are you?"

"How did you get in here?" Hamuko hissed, sitting upright and glaring at the boy.

"I'm always with you," said the boy, shrugging.

"You're – Ugh, okay," said Hamuko exasperatedly. "That's creepy on a number of levels, but whatever. Look, kid… you shouldn't be here, alright? There is such a thing as personal space, you know, and you're violating mine in about seventeen different –"

"Soon, the end will come," the little boy cut her off. Hamuko blinked.

"Er – come again?"

The boy turned toward the window, the pale moonlight throwing his features into relief. For the first time, she noticed the tiny mole under his left eye.

"I remembered," said the boy, looking quite pleased with himself, "so I thought I should tell you."

"Tell me what?" asked Hamuko wearily.

"About the end," said the boy again.

"The end of _what_?"

"Everything."

For a second, Hamuko thought she had heard him wrong.

"You're…you're talking about the end of the world," she said slowly. He turned back to her.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what it means," he said sadly.

Half of Hamuko wanted to scold the boy for playing such a mean trick on her. But the other half of her was terrified that he was right. After all, she and Minato had already experienced some seriously bizarre stuff… What if Nostradamus Jr. here really was on to something?

"Oh," said the boy, suddenly cheerful again, "so you've awakened to your power."

"Yeah," said Hamuko. "How did you…?"

"I told you," chuckled the boy, "I'm always with you!"

"Right…," mumbled Hamuko.

"It's an unusual power you possess," said the boy. "A power that takes many forms yet is bound by none… Depending on where you end up, this power might prove to be your salvation."

"Yeah, well," said Hamuko. "Thanks for the tip."

"Do you remember when we first met?" asked the boy.

"Vaguely," said Hamuko dryly.

"Well, I expect you to honor the agreement you made that night," said the boy. "I'll be watching you. Even if you forget about me."

"Trust me, kid," said Hamuko. "I will _not_be forgetting you anytime soon."

The boy seemed happy. "Good!" he said. "I'm glad. Okay, then. See you later."

And he disappeared, leaving Hamuko alone.

**TUESDAY – 04/21/09**

After class, Minato, Hamuko, Junpei and Yukari sat gathered around Minato's desk, talking.

"I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there!" yawned Yukari. "Honestly, Mr. Ekoda sure knows how to ramble…"

"Tell me about it," grumbled Junpei, slumped over Minato's desk. "I mean, it's hard enough to care about this crap as it is. How're we expected to pay attention when we're learnin' it all from that guy?"

"For once, Junpei, I agree," said Yukari.

"Shoulda gotten that on tape," muttered Junpei. Yukari grinned.

"To be honest, I had more trouble paying attention because of last night," admitted Hamuko. "All I've been able to think about all day is fighting Shadows!"

"It is pretty exciting, isn't it?" said Yukari. "Dangerous, but exciting. You two are just lucky you didn't get hurt."

"Speaking of which," said Minato sleepily, "Akihiko-senpai isn't at school today, is he?"

"No…," said Hamuko gravely. "I really hope he's okay."

"Why, Hamu-chan?" asked Junpei, smiling mischievously. "You worried big, strong, _handsome_senpai can't take care of himself?"

"Junpei, the more you accuse Hamuko of having a crush on Akihiko-senpai, the more it sounds like _you_have a crush on him," pointed out Minato.

"Hey," said Junpei, unfazed. "I mean, I'm no chick, but I'm just sayin'… I wouldn't kick him outta bed."

"Okay," said Yukari, "this conversation has taken a turn for the weird."

"And anyway," added Hamuko, "you don't have to worry about me where Akihiko-senpai is concerned. This morning, as he was leaving for the hospital, he told me I have 'pretty big feet for a girl'."

Yukari shot Minato a look that said _"I told you so."_

"I'm just worried about him, that's all," Hamuko went on. "I mean, he took a pretty heavy beating from that Shadow."

"He'll be fine," said Yukari. "It's just a few cracked ribs. According to Mitsuru-senpai, he should be better in no time."

As if on cue, the door to the classroom slid open and Mitsuru glided into the room. Hamuko couldn't help noticing most of her classmates stopped what they were doing and stared at Mitsuru as she entered. Mitsuru did not seem to notice; otherwise, she did not care.

"Mitsuru-senpai," said Minato, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just want a minute," she said. "Are you busy?"

"Swamped, actually," said Yukari sarcastically. Mitsuru eyes flickered briefly to Yukari's face, but otherwise, she did not react.

"Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm today," she told them. "We have our first mission tonight."

"A mission!" said Junpei, perking up immediately. "Sweet! What are we doing? Where are we going? Will we be allowed to use weapons?"

Mitsuru smiled. "I'll save the details for later. See you there."

And Mitsuru left as quickly as she came.

"That was fast," remarked Hamuko, as the door shut behind Mitsuru. Yukari rolled her eyes.

"She's probably busy with stuff like Student Council, unlike us," she muttered.

"Whoa, Yuka-tan!" said Junpei. "Do I sense some hostility?"

Everyone turned expectantly to Yukari. She paled.

"W-well," she said, "it's not that I don't like her… She's just… Oh, never mind!" She stood up abruptly, gathering her things. "Let's go, Hamuko."

Before returning to the dorm, Yukari and Hamuko stopped off at the Iwatodai Strip Mall to grab some takoyaki. They sat together on a bench, watching the gradual beginning of the sunset.

"About earlier…," Yukari spoke up at last. She looked uncomfortable. "It's not that I don't like her or anything, y'know?"

"Mitsuru-senpai?" asked Hamuko. Yukari nodded.

"She's just – I dunno – a little difficult to deal with sometimes."

"You don't have to explain," said Hamuko reassuringly. "I mean, I don't know Mitsuru-senpai very well, but you can't like everything about everyone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Yukari, smiling in relief. "Thanks, Hamuko." Her expression soured suddenly. "But Junpei can be such a pain sometimes. Why does he always have to pry into everyone's business, huh?"

"I'm sure he was just worried," said Hamuko delicately. "He's a part of S.E.E.S. too. I bet he just wants to make sure we're all getting along."

"Maybe," said Yukari unwillingly. "But why does he have to say it all in such a creepy, perverted way? He's gotten in trouble for it before, you know! Last year, he…"

Yukari gossiped like this all the way back to the dorm, only stopping when she suspected Junpei and the others might be in earshot. Hamuko felt slightly exhausted after the trip. As much as Hamuko liked Yukari, she was starting to wonder if there was anything Yukari _wasn't_irritated by.

They arrived in the lounge to see the rest of the team was waiting for them, along with Ikutsuki-san. Akihiko jumped up from his chair almost the second Hamuko and Yukari were in the room.

"Can we go now?" he asked Mitsuru.

Hamuko was given the sudden, strong impression of a child asking his mother to take him to the toy store.

Mitsuru shook her head. "Give them a moment, Akihiko, they just walked through the door."

"Oh, it's okay," said Hamuko quickly, before Akihiko could deflate. "We're ready now, aren't we, Yukari?"

"Sure," said Yukari.

"Well, then," said the Chairman. "If everyone's here, then I suppose we can get on with it. I'd like your undivided attention, kids! We've got a lot to go over."

The members of S.E.E.S. watched the Chairman expectantly. For a moment, he appeared to be collecting his thoughts.

"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had," he said, after a time. "However, now that there are five members of our team, I feel safe enough to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"Tartarus…?" repeated Junpei. "What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"You really haven't seen it, Junpei?" said Yukari.

"What do you mean?" asked Junpei. "Is it somethin' I should've seen by now?"

"Not necessarily," said the Chairman. "After all, Tartarus is only visible during the Dark Hour, which you've only just become aware of, Junpei."

"Just like the Shadows," said Akihiko. "Ex – er – Interesting, huh?"

He had begun to say "exciting," but changed course under Mitsuru's glare.

"Anyway, Tartarus is the perfect place for us to train," Akihiko went on, "since it's basically the Shadows' nest."

"Whoa," said Junpei uneasily. "Their nest…?"

"Sounds cool," said Minato, standing. "I'm ready to go explore this Tartarus place."

"Me too," said Hamuko.

"Uh – Me three," said Junpei, mimicking Minato's confident stance. "You in, Yuka-tan?"

"Of course," said Yukari, glancing at Akihiko, "but… Senpai, what about your injury?"

Before Akihiko had the chance to respond, Mitsuru cut in for him:

"Since Akihiko isn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance," she said smoothly. "Isn't that right, Akihiko?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Akihiko grumpily. "I get it."

"Relax!" said Junpei. "I got your backs!"

"Oh, great," said Yukari flatly. "_That's_reassuring."

Both Hamuko and Minato expected to find Tartarus in a hidden corner of Port Island, somewhere tucked behind the slums where no one dared venture. So when they arrived at the real Tartarus, they were both astonished.

Tartarus was Gekkoukan High.

"This is it?" said Junpei, who seemed to share the twins' doubt. "_This_is the place? Why here?"

"Just be patient, would you?" said Akihiko. "It's almost midnight…"

Nearly the instant the words left his lips, the Dark Hour descended – and as it did, something very strange started happening to the school.

The whole building rumbled and shook, cracking and leaning sideways. For a terrifying second, Hamuko thought it would topple over and crash – but instead, the school only grew taller and taller, distorting and twisting along the way. When it was over, they stood before a ghostly, seemingly endless tower of gleaming spires and crooked windows.

Hamuko had never seen something so incredible… or so chilling.

"This," said Mitsuru grimly, "is Tartarus – the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

"How can you be so calm about this?" yelped Junpei, who was slowly edging away from Tartarus. "What the hell happened to our school?"

"Don't worry," said Mitsuru. "Once the Dark Hour ends, everything will go back to normal."

"But – why _here_?" Junpei asked again, shaking his head. "Why our school, of all places?" When Mitsuru remained silent, he asked her, "You don't know either, do you?"

"…No," said Mitsuru, sounding defeated. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sure it's complicated," said Yukari, unexpectedly jumping to Mitsuru's aid. Mitsuru looked both surprised and pleased.

"Maybe now we'll find out for sure," said Akihiko hopefully. "Mitsuru and I have only ever gone in to take a peek. This will be our first time exploring Tartarus for real. Exciting, isn't it? I mean, there has to be _some_clue in there about the Dark Hour –"

"Akihiko," said Mitsuru sharply, "I respect your enthusiasm, but for the hundredth time, you will _not_be accompanying us today."

Akihiko scowled. "I know, alright? You don't have to remind me!"

Shaking her head, Mitsuru pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the front gate to the school. "Come, everyone," she said briskly. "We're going in."

The inside of Tartarus was not nearly as foreboding as Hamuko had expected. An enormous foyer loomed before them, with marble floors, massive Grecian pillars and a single handsome staircase. A strange mechanism sat rusting in the corner. Hamuko examined it briefly, but did not have the slightest idea as to what it could be for.

"Whoa…," murmured Junpei, stepping into Tartarus behind them. "It's just as cool on the inside!"

"This is only the entrance," said Mitsuru. "The labyrinth lies beyond that doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you four get a feel for the place," said Akihiko. "Just have a look around. That's all we're asking for today."

"Wai – By ourselves?" said Yukari, horrified.

"You won't have to go very far," said Mitsuru calmly. "And I'll be feeding you information from here."

"Well…," said Yukari. "If you say so…"

"We'll appoint two leaders to make necessary decisions," said Akihiko. Junpei bounded forward.

"No problemo, senpai!" he said, clapping Minato on the shoulder. "Minato and I are on the case!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," said Akihiko. "I was leaning more toward Minato and Hamuko."

"Me?" said Hamuko, startled.

"_Her_?" said Junpei angrily. "But… She's a girl!"

"It makes sense, though," said Yukari, "since Hamuko and Minato-kun are the only ones who have fought the Shadows before."

"They have?" said Junpei.

"That's true," said Akihiko, "but there's another reason."

He took his Evoker from his belt and pressed the muzzle directly to his forehead, all the while staring hard at Junpei and Yukari.

"Can you summon your Personae without any difficulty, like they can?"

Yukari and Junpei exchanged nervous glances. Akihiko smirked.

"My point exactly," he said, returning his Evoker it its holster. "These are Shadows we're talking about here, guys. Without your Personae, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that," said Yukari coldly. Akihiko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, then," he said, regarding Yukari so fiercely that she looked down in shame, "if that's the case, then we should head in now. Minato, Hamuko – you ready?"

"You bet!" said the twins in unison. Akihiko chuckled.

"That's the spirit!"

Minato, Hamuko, Yukari and Junpei made to ascend the staircase, their hearts pounding rapidly, their nerves on edge. This was the first step into darkness. Whatever lurked in the shadowed corners of Tartarus, whatever evils waited for them there, the four of them had to be ready to fight for their lives. Standing side-by-side at the first step, Hamuko and Minato looked at each other.

"Ready, Hamu?" Minato asked.

"Whenever you are," Hamuko replied. Minato nodded.

"Then let's go."

Hamuko raised her foot, very nearly planting it on the staircase – but something caught her mid-step, forcing her attention to the farthest corner of the room.

It was a blue door, wreathed in eerie, ethereal light. Hamuko gawked at the door, mesmerized. It looked like… But no, it couldn't possibly be… the door from her dreams?

Suddenly, Hamuko's pocket began shaking violently. Cramming her hand into the pocket, Hamuko closed her fingers around something smooth and cold. She could hardly believe it. The key Igor had given her – the Velvet Key, as he had called it – was there, _actually_there in her hand. Not only that, but it seemed to be pulling her forward, away from the staircase, closer and closer to the mysterious door. The key glided forward, fitting smoothly in the keyhole and turning fluidly, as though guided there by magic. The door opened. The light flooded Hamuko's vision. A soft rushing sound filled her ears. When the light and sound had subsided, and Hamuko was able to perceive things clearly again, she found herself in the Velvet Room once more.

"Young Master," said Igor, glancing up from a deck of cards as Hamuko came forward. "I've been waiting for you. The time has come for you to wield your power. Please, sit down."

"No, thank you," said Hamuko politely. "I'd like to stand, if you don't mind. My friends are waiting for me."

"Very well," said Igor, nodding. "A strong sense of leadership is key. I'll keep this brief, then."

Igor snapped his fingers carelessly, and a three-dimensional, holographic image sprang up from the glass table. It appeared to be a tiny rendering of the tower of Tartarus. Igor gestured to the building with his long, thin fingers.

"The tower you are about to venture into," said Igor. "How did it come to be, hm? For what purpose does it exist?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, sir," said Hamuko. Igor smiled.

"Of course you don't know, Master; these are questions you are not yet capable of answering. That is why you must learn the nature of your power – so you may find the answers you seek."

"I see," said Hamuko. "And – what exactly _is_the nature of my power?"

"Your power is unique," said Igor. "It is like the number zero – empty, yet full of infinite possibilities. You see, Young Master, while your friends are only able to wield one Persona, you have the ability to possess many Personae at once, and to summon them whenever they are needed."

"I do?" said Hamuko, amazed. Igor nodded.

"Defeating the enemies before you will open your eyes to a realm of possibility," said Igor. "It may be difficult to grasp it all at once, but never fear. You must reap the benefits you sow in battle. Seize the rewards you earn. If you keep that in mind, your power will grow accordingly."

"Um – okay," said Hamuko. "I think I understand."

"My spare time will become scarce, but do not hesitate to ask me if you need help," said Igor. "I will attempt to assist you in any way possible."

"Thank you," said Hamuko gratefully. "You've already been a huge help."

"Please," said Igor silkily. "You flatter me too much. I will allow you to return to your friends, Young Master, but first… Do you recall what I told you about the other resident of this room? Well…"

Igor snapped his fingers again. This time, the hologram vanished, and a tall figure emerged from the darkness. The second resident of the Velvet Room stood behind Igor's chair, smiling politely at Hamuko.

"Good evening," said the new man. "My name is Theodore. But please, feel free to call me Theo."

"O-okay," stammered Hamuko, staring.

She knew she probably looked like a glassy-eyed idiot, gazing dreamily at Theo like she was. But Hamuko couldn't help it. Theo was young, graceful and painfully beautiful, with smooth white skin and pale, shiny hair. His eyes, which were the warm color of melted gold, watched Hamuko serenely through a fan of thick, dark lashes. He was so impossibly good-looking – so angelic, even – that Hamuko had to convince herself she was not dreaming him up.

"Theo is my assistant," explained Igor, once Hamuko had regained her wits. "He will also be here to assist you."

"I look forward to spending time with you, Master Hamuko," said Theo, in his low, enticing voice. Hamuko felt her cheeks flush.

"Um – Ditto," she told Theo lamely, and he flashed a brilliantly white smile.

"Until then…," said Igor, "farewell, Master Hamuko…"

When Hamuko was returned the clear present, she realized with a jolt that the rest of her team was gathered around her, looking very seriously concerned.

"What?" said Hamuko, looking, unnerved, from face to face. "Why are you all staring at me?"

"Because you've been standing her for a whole minute, just staring into that corner," said Yukari anxiously. "We even said your name a few times, but you didn't respond!"

"Yeah, dude," said Junpei, "you were actin' like a zombie."

"I – really?" said Hamuko keenly. "A zombie?"

Junpei rolled his eyes. "_That's_what you choose to focus on?" he said exasperatedly. "Honestly, you're s'posed to be our leader! Get your head in the game!"

"Sorry," said Hamuko. She realized suddenly that Junpei and the others must not be able to see the Velvet Room at all, for they were acting as though there was nothing but a blank wall where Hamuko had been standing. "Er – I guess I just spaced out."

"Well… Don't let it happen again," said Akihiko, who looked apprehensive. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, people. I think you'd better go in."

"Yeah," said Yukari.

"Let's do this!" said Junpei. "So I can prove _I_ should be in charge!"

Hamuko whacked him over the head with the blunt edge of her nagitana.

The darkness of Tartarus was so unfathomable, so profound, that if not for the ever-present light of the gleaming moon, it would be damn near impossible to maneuver your way through it. The darkness was inconvenient, to say the least. Fighting monsters in the pitch-black of constant shadow was no easy feat.

But Noritaka's friends were lucky: They had a human flashlight on their side.

"Kratos," said Noritaka, crouching in the middle of a darkened corridor, "turn this way; I think there's one at the end of the hallway somewhere."

At Noritaka's request, Kratos turned his head slowly toward the indicated point. His silvery eyes, the only part of his face visible behind his mask, cast beams of white light across the floor. Noritaka was right, as usual. The end of the hall harbored not one, but two cowering Maya. They had found safety in the solace of the darkness. Now that Kratos had found them, they broke apart with a shriek and attempted to clamor up the side of the wall. Noritaka stood, sighing and shaking his head. Carelessly, he pulled two katana from their sheaths and advanced upon the Shadows, slicing them easily in half. He watched the remnants of the Shadows dissolve into nothingness, a look of disgust in his grey-blue eyes.

"Damn," sighed Noritaka, sheathing his blades once more. "It's just no fun anymore, you guys. The Shadows on this level are too weak."

"Then why do we keep attacking them?" asked Emiko, the ends of her pink pigtails protruding from her cloak as always. "It doesn't feel right, man. We're picking on creatures who can't even stick up for themselves."

"Maybe so," said Aya, "but we can't advance past this level of Tartarus, and we need to keep practicing. We can't afford to get rusty."

"Well, duh," said Emiko, rolling her bright blue eyes to the ceiling, "but why can't we practice outside, where the real competition is?"

"We would," said Noritaka coldly, "but _someone_has made it very clear we are not to trust her out in the open."

All masked faces turned to Manami, who was hovering at the edge of the group. Manami threw up her gloved hands.

"What do you want from me, Noritaka?" she demanded of him. "I apologized a thousand times!"

"You ran off, Nami," Aya reminded her. "During an investigation. Until you can prove you're capable of being a responsible member of this team, why should Noritaka trust you?"

"Look, I wasn't doing anything wrong," said Manami hotly. "I just get so _bored_during those stupid investigations! They never amount to anything!"

"That's not the point," snapped Noritaka. "We know you, Manami. How can we be sure you won't try to contact any _others_? How can we trust that you won't go looking for that Sanada person?"

"Because I promised you I wouldn't," said Manami. "I told you, Noritaka. Akihiko Sanada is out of the picture. I will never, _ever_seek him out again."

"You'd better not," threatened Noritaka. "Otherwise, you could jeopardize everything this team has –"

"_Shh_!" said Suri suddenly, startling both Noritaka and Manami. "Something's coming!"

The six of them stood silent and still, each member holding their breath and resting their hands on their weapons. Kratos blinked his eyes three times in rapid succession; instantly, the white light died from his vision, and they were cast into perfect darkness again. Noritaka shut his eyes tightly, his brow deeply furrowed, concentrating hard on the sources of power…

_Tell me…,_Noritaka thought desperately. _Tell me, Helios; what's coming? What power do they possess?_

And Noritaka's Persona replied,

_There are four of them, all sixteen-year-old students, all Persona-users. The two girls are Hamuko Arisato and Yukari Takeba. The boys are called Minato Arisato and Junpei Iori. I would not be concerned with them, Noritaka; their power is underdeveloped._

As Helios retreated back into Noritaka's psyche, he snapped his eyes open.

"C'mon," he said, beckoning his comrades toward him. "We should get out of here."

"Why?" said Suri angrily. "What did Helios tell you?"

"They're users, like us," said Noritaka impatiently. "But they're not very strong. If we leave now, we can avoid –"

"No way," said Suri stubbornly. "We didn't think anything of Strega at first, either, did we? We're just gonna let these kids go because they don't _seem_strong?"

"Suri-chan," pleaded Noritaka, "I know you hate Strega for what happened, but –"

"This has nothing to do with that!" snapped Suri, her anger mounting. "You know what? Fine. You guys do what you want – I'm going to fight them!"

She placed two fingers on her forehead, shutting her eyes tightly – and in a flash of brilliant green light, her Persona sprang forth from her psyche, twirling in midair and hanging upside-down to stare at her.

"Suri-sama!" said the Persona brightly. "We're fighting?"

"No," said Noritaka flatly. "We're not."

"Yes, we are!" insisted Suri. She turned to her Persona. "There are four other wielders on this floor, Aura. Take me to them."

"Aura, don't!" Noritaka commanded the Persona. "We need to get out of here!"

But Aura was a mischievous Persona, and always ready for a fight. So, pulling a face at Noritaka, she bolted off down the hallway, a greenish gust of air streaming behind her as she went. Suri took off running after her, her white cape rippling behind her as she went. Noritaka swore loudly.

"Damn it!" he snarled, as he and the other Ghosts followed Suri's trail. "I can't trust _anyone_on this team!"

Meanwhile, Hamuko and the others were engaged in a battle with three Maya. Hamuko felt like she was finally getting a hang of this Shadow fighting business. She had never used a nagitana before, but it was easy enough after the fourth or fifth battle. And summoning her Persona was a piece of cake.

The others appeared to be at ease, too. Yukari had finally mustered up the courage to summon her Persona, Io, during the second battle, and Junpei had followed suit shortly after, calling upon his own Persona, Hermes. It seemed like it was going to be a successful night.

But of course, things were bound to go wrong. And they did.

"Whew!" said Yukari, once the Maya were defeated. "That was a tough one."

"_Good work_," issued Mitsuru's voice, from the communicators they wore in their ears. "_You can return to the entrance now, if you'd like._"

"Sure thing," said Minato. "I think we've just about wiped everything out here, anyway."

"_It_ _does_ _seem_ _that_ _way_," said Mitsuru, sounding tense. "_There were surprisingly few Shadows there tonight… I wonder where they're all hiding._"

"Beats the hell outta me," said Junpei with a yawn. "Look, I'm beat. I'm ready to go home, take a shower and get all nice and comfy in my warm, snuggly –"

Junpei never finished his sentence. One second, he was standing in the middle of the chamber, rubbing his aching back – and the next, he had been hit squarely in the head by a ball of yellow light and knocked flat onto his face. Junpei lie in a crumpled heap on the floor, a generous stream of blood coming from his nose.

"_Ow_!" he shouted. "What the _hell_was that?"

"C'mon, weakling!" squeaked the creature over Junpei's head. "Get up and gimme all you've got!"

Hamuko, Yukari and Minato stared at the being, which glowed with a warm, golden light. Though it looked like a little girl, wide eyes and a round, pleasant face, the being was decidedly _not_human. Her skin, for one, was whitish-blue, and she had two transparent wings like a dragonfly's. But if she wasn't human, then was she…

"…a Shadow?" yelped Yukari, readying her Evoker.

"_What? Where?_"said Mitsuru sharply. "_Why can't I sense its presence?_"

"Because she's not a Shadow, morons," said a girlish, slightly muffled voice from the shadows. "She's my Persona."

Minato, Hamuko and Yukari whirled on the spot, aiming their weapons directly at –

A little girl.

At least – they _thought_she was a little girl. She was very small in stature, anyway, and her voice was decidedly female. But they had no way of knowing for sure, since she was cloaked and covered from head to toe in white fabric. All they could see of her were her reproachful brown eyes, which watched them intently through holes in a featureless porcelain mask.

"What?" said Minato bewilderedly, lowering his sword. "What's a kid doing in Tartarus?"

"I'm not a kid!" snarled the figure, brandishing a long bamboo staff at him. "Don't you dare look down on me, emo boy!"

"Emo boy?" repeated Minato, highly affronted. "I'm not…_emo_…"

"Then why do you have a girl's haircut?"

"Alright, that's enough!" said Hamuko loudly, as Minato began to protest. "I don't know who you are, or what you're doing here, but we didn't come here to fight you."

"Why should I trust you?" growled the little girl. "I think you're a liar! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you, in the name of the Holy Ghosts!"

And with a furious cry, the girl launched herself forward, spinning her staff in a circle over her head. Hamuko countered her attack at the last second, swinging her nagitana just in time to stop the staff from hitting her. The masked girl growled menacingly, cocking her arm back for a second attack.

"_What's happening, Takeba?_" asked Mitsuru. "_Who is Hamuko-san fighting_?"

"She's a Persona-user!" said Yukari, hovering at the edge of the ensuing battle. "She seems to think we came here to fight her!"

"_A Persona-user?_" cried Mitsuru. "_Impossible!_"

"I'm telling you, it's true!" insisted Yukari. "She's trying to kill us!"

"_Then kill her first_!" said Akihiko's voice from the background. "_Or at least capture her! Yukari, we can't let her get away!_"

"B-but – she's just a kid!"

"_That doesn't matter! If one of you doesn't summon your Persona –_"

"Fine!" grumbled Junpei, peeling himself off of the floor. "I'll do it!"

Perhaps because he was still desperate to prove himself as a leader – or perhaps because he was harboring a grudge against the girl's Persona – Junpei summoned Hermes more easily than he had ever done. At Junpei's mental command, Hermes summoned a massive Agi attack, preparing to launch it at the girl – but Yukari's hand found Junpei's, and she met him with a warning stare.

"I'm telling you, Junpei, this is a bad idea," said Yukari. "She's preoccupied with fighting Hamuko. If you were to attack her right now, when she has no way of giving her Persona orders –"

"And what makes you think I need her permission to attack anyone?"

Both Yukari's and Junpei's necks snapped around at the sound of the Persona's voice. The little golden girl was floating upside-down, her arms and legs folded, surrounded by a rapidly swirling tornado of wind. The Persona smirked.

"I hope you're not weak to Garu, Hermes," the Persona taunted. "Because this one's gonna be a doozy."

Yukari screamed as the Persona released her hold on the wind, sending the full force of it straight for Hermes. The gust was powerful enough to knock both Hermes and Junpei flat onto their backs. Junpei skidded a few feet across the floor, his head hitting the far wall with an audible _crack._Junpei groaned.

"D-damn it," he coughed, sitting weakly upright. "I wasn't ready for that…"

Yukari rounded furiously on the Persona. "How did you do that without your wielder's orders?" she demanded. "Tell me!"

"Oh, brother," said the Persona witheringly. "As if I'd tell _you_anything."

Swiftly, Yukari snatched an arrow from her quiver and cocked her bow, aiming it for the Persona – but the Persona only laughed.

"Not that that's not _really_terrifying, but it won't do you any good," she told Yukari. "I resist pierce _and_Garu attacks. So unless you're planning on healing me, there's nothing else you can do that will have any effect on me."

"Maybe not," said a voice from behind her, "but I bet _I_can affect you just fine."

The Persona turned sharply – just in time to receive a frontal slash from Minato's katana. Dropping from the sky, the Persona wailed in pain. Minato felt a half-second of victorious elation – before he realized that the screams were no longer coming from the Persona. He looked, horrified, over his shoulder to see that the little girl had fallen to the ground at Hamuko's feet, her hands grasping at the front of her cloak. Minato's stomach twisted into a knot. Spurts of blood were blossoming across the girl's front, staining her white robes crimson.

"Help her!" Hamuko cried, dropping to her knees beside the girl. "Yukari, do something!"

"R-right!" said Yukari.

Calling forth Io, Yukari employed the strongest Dia spell she could muster. It didn't heal the girl's wound completely, but the bleeding subsided considerably and she finally ceased screaming. Minato stood over the girl's body, wearing an expression of terror and anguish.

"I – I didn't realize," he croaked, his chin trembling slightly. "I didn't want this to happen!"

Yukari placed her hand on his arm, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know."

"S-Suri-sama…"

The Persona was floating feebly toward her wielder, flickering slightly, as though she was coming in and out of focus. It seemed the little girl was losing consciousness, and as dozed off, the Persona's presence became weaker and weaker.

"S-S-Suri… sama…" whispered the Persona. "H-hang… on…"

The Persona faded into a ball of yellow light, which floated toward the girl, sinking through the front of the girl's mask and disappearing. At that moment, a thunder of footsteps came from deep within a darkened hallway. Hamuko sprang to her feet, clutching the girl's lifeless body, and watched as six more cloaked strangers sprinted into the chamber, each of them trailed by their own Personae. The tallest of these figures came forward, holding out his hands.

"Give me the girl," he said sharply, advancing upon Hamuko. Junpei leapt between Hamuko and the boy, scowling.

"No way," said Junpei fiercely. "She tried to kill us!"

"And I'm sorry for that," said the masked boy, "but if you don't let us care for her, she might die."

Hamuko watched the boy's eyes warily, looking for any sign of treachery. Slowly, she stepped past Junpei, facing the boy head-on.

"Will she be alright?" asked Hamuko.

"If we care for her in time," said the boy evenly. Hamuko nodded.

"Alright, then."

And, ignoring Junpei's cries of protest, Hamuko handed the little girl over to the masked boy. The boy bowed gratefully.

"The Holy Ghosts thank you for your cooperation. Have a pleasant night, Arisato-san."

Hamuko opened her mouth to ask how he knew her name – but a green, bird-like Persona beat its wings, stirring up a puff of smoke and obscuring the strangers from view. Coughing, Hamuko beat the smoke away from her eyes, squinting through it. When the smoke finally cleared, the seven strangers were gone.

"What was _that_about?" said Yukari quietly, a few seconds after they had disappeared. Minato shook his head.

"I have no idea…"

"_Return to the entrance at once,_" said Mitsuru gravely. "_We'll discuss it when we're all together._"

"Right," said Hamuko. "We're on our way."

Leaning her nagitana over her shoulder, Hamuko stared intently into the darkness where the masked strangers had just been. The Holy Ghosts… It was a fitting name, really, for a group that came from thin air and vanished the same way. And they were spooky enough. But there was something else, something about their presence that had left Hamuko unsettled. She couldn't help feeling that somehow, they would change everything.

And she doubted they would change things for the better.


	6. Chapter 6: You Can Count On Me

**CHAPTER 6**

**You Can Count on Me**

"_Want to put a bubble round you with a force field switch_

_Keep you secured just a little bit_

_But I know a secret child is just a silly trick_

_Who grows up to lose a force field switch"_

_Panda Bear_

**WEDNESDAY – 4/22/09 – MORNING**

"Morning."

It was Akihiko. As he sauntered toward the twins, a group of girls watched him, giggling. Akihiko's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Oh," said Minato, blinking slowly. "Hey, senpai."

"I didn't know that we were on the same train," said Akihiko.

Hamuko raised an eyebrow. "Senpai, we left the dorms together. You passed me on the way to your seat."

Akihiko rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Er – I did?"

"Yes," said Hamuko thinly. Boy, was he clueless.

"Eheheh…sorry about that," said Akihiko. "I guess I was preoccupied." His face darkened. "Man…things have been real crazy these past couple days."

"Tell me about it," Hamuko agreed fervently. "I mean, I don't know about Mina, but I was just getting used to the whole Persona thing. Now that those Holy Spirits –"

"Holy Ghosts," Minato mumbled.

"Whatever," said Hamuko. "Now that _those guys _are in the fold, things are more confusing than ever. I mean, what are we supposed to make of them? Are they allies, or enemies?"

"There's no way to know for sure," said Akihiko grimly. "At least, not until we encounter them again."

"Yeah…," said Hamuko uneasily. "I guess you're right."

"We'll discuss it as a team tonight," said Akihiko. "For now, though, I would try not to worry about them too much."

In response, Minato yawned loudly. Akihiko glanced at him.

"Otherwise, are you two all right?" he asked. "You must be pretty beat since you've just transferred here too."

"We are," admitted Hamuko, while Minato dozed off beside her. "And more than a little confused."

Akihiko chuckled. "Well, of course you are. It's a hell of a lot to take in all at once. I'd take over your position as captain if I could – you know, just until you've both settled in – but…I can't." He groaned loudly. "Man, I'm so bored that I feel like I'm dying!"

"Don't worry, senpai," said Hamuko, as bracingly as she could manage. "It's only temporary, remember? You'll be back on the battlefield in no time."

Akihiko perked up a bit. "Thanks, Arisato. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you two. The way you fought yesterday was pretty impressive."

"Not as impressive as those Holy Ghosts," Hamuko reminded him. Once again, Akihiko's face darkened.

"Like I said," he told her sternly, "we'll talk about all of that later."

And he walked away, just as the first bell sounded.

Yukari had practice after school, so Junpei, Minato and Hamuko started heading home without her. There was some kind of commotion going on at the front gate; the girls from earlier that morning were standing in a huddle, whispering. Suddenly, one of them let out a piercing shriek.

"Look!" she cried. "It's Akihiko-senpai!"

Sure enough, Akihiko was attempting to slink past the girls, his jacket pulled up over his head. He froze.

"Wait for us!" whined another of the giddy schoolgirls. Akihiko sighed loudly. As the group of girls gathered around Akihiko, Junpei let out a low whistle.

"Man, would you look at that?" he said breathlessly. "I hear they're always swarmin' Akihiko-senpai like that."

"Sounds terrifying," said Minato, shuddering sleepily.

"I don't know," chuckled Junpei. "It doesn't look so bad to me. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but – I mean, come on! You don't even see girls flock like that on TV!"

Akihiko had certainly drawn a large crowd. Hamuko could not help noticing he did not seem too happy about it. In fact, he looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I wonder where they're going," said Junpei, his eyes still alight with envy.

Suddenly, Akihiko spotted Hamuko. He adopted an expression that might have suggested Christmas had come early.

"H-hey!" protested one of the girls, as Akihiko pushed her aside to approach Hamuko. "Senpai!"

Akihiko ignored her, sidling up next to Minato. "Thank God you guys are here," he muttered. "Are you free this afternoon?"

"I…I guess so?" said Junpei, bemused. Akihiko grinned.

"Great. I want the three of you to come with me to Paulownia Mall. We need to make a stop at the police station."

"The – the police station?" Junpei stammered. "Uh – are your – friends gonna come along, too?" he added hopefully.

Akihiko growled. "Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much it gives me a headache."

Akihiko did not seem to care that the girls were still in earshot. More disturbingly, the girls did not seem to care all that much that he had just insulted them.

"Awww," pouted one of the girls. "Senpai, why can't you be more friendly?"

Hamuko turned to the girls. "Okay, go home," she said. "Seriously. Get a hobby or something. Take up watercolors."

The girls sulked off, muttering amongst themselves as they went. Junpei watched them until they were clear out of view.

"Man, how can you not know their names?" he moaned. "I mean, seriously! Just look at them!"

"Don't ask stupid questions," said Akihiko coolly. "Now, come on. Let's go."

Akihiko took them to meet Officer Kurosawa, a stern policeman who – much to Hamuko's surprise – had full knowledge of the Dark Hour, the Shadows and the Personae. Hamuko's surprise mounted when Akihiko informed her that Ikutsuki had been depositing yen into the team members' bank accounts; they had an allowance of ¥5000 to purchase weapons from the station today.

"Man," said Junpei happily, as the four of them made their way home, "I never thought I'd live to see the day when a cop sold a buncha weapons to a group of kids."

"He's a good guy," said Akihiko, who was carrying a brand-new bow and quiver for Yukari. "It's nice of him to help us like this."

"Senpai…," said Hamuko, "can Officer Kurosawa…?"

"He can't summon a Persona, no," said Akihiko. "He can't access the Dark Hour at all. He's just an ordinary policeman. But he knows about us, and he helps us out when he can."

"How did you meet him?" asked Minato.

"He, uh…helped me out a while ago," said Akihiko vaguely. "He's someone you can count on."

Hamuko didn't press the matter. It obviously wasn't a subject that Akihiko was comfortable with, and besides – it would be nice having someone they could count on, other than the other Persona-users. Who was Hamuko to question that?

Anyway, the team had much bigger things to worry about.

That night, the six of them sat gathered around the dinner table. As usual, Mitsuru was the first to speak.

"You all know why we're gathered here," she said solemnly. "We must discuss the matter of these…_Holy Ghosts._"

"Sure…," said Yukari. "But – where do we start? I mean, I don't know about any of you, but…I thought we were the only Persona-users out there."

"Same here," said Junpei. "It kinda freaks me out to know there are others out there – and we don't even know if they're on our side or not."

"After last night's display, I think it's safe to say they're not," muttered Akihiko.

"Don't be so sure," said Mitsuru. "After all, the girl's behavior doesn't necessarily condemn the team as a whole. It's entirely possible that the user who attacked you was doing so against the others' wishes. And you said her companions behaved respectfully."

"They did," said Hamuko. "The others didn't even try to touch us."

"Precisely," said Mitsuru, more to Akihiko than anyone else. "If these Ghosts were really against us, why wouldn't they have taken the opportunity to apprehend Arisato and the others?"

"I don't know, Mitsuru," said Akihiko irritably. "I don't have all the answers. All I know is that I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of these clowns running around, picking off Shadows while we – Hang on."

Akihiko stopped short, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Oh my God," he said slowly. "The Shadows…"

"What?" said Mitsuru sharply. "What is it, Akihiko?"

Akihiko slammed his fist down on the table, startling the others. "Damn it!" he snarled. "Those Ghost bastards – they must be the reason all the Shadows have been disappearing around here lately!"

"But…," said Yukari nervously, "isn't that a good thing?"

"Don't be an idiot, Yukari," Akihiko snapped. "Without Shadows to practice on, I'll –"

"We'll," Mitsuru corrected him witheringly. "We _are _a team, Akihiko."

"Fine!" said Akihiko. "Then _we'll _get out of shape, and then I'll –"

"We'll."

Yukari shrieked as Akihiko threw his steak knife directly at Mitsuru's head. Mitsuru dodged the knife easily, but looked furious nonetheless.

"Oh, very mature!" she barked, jumping to her feet. Akihiko clenched his fists.

"I'm sick and tired of you treating me like a kid!"

"I wouldn't treat you like a kid, Akihiko, if you didn't insist on acting like one!"

"What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?"

"Guys, guys!" shouted Hamuko, banging on the table to attract the others' attention. "Seriously, that's enough!"

Mitsuru and Akihiko stared at her for a long moment, their chests heaving. Then, abashed, both seniors returned to their seats. They stared determinedly at the table.

"Thank you…," muttered Hamuko. "Look, I get it. This Ghost stuff is putting everyone on edge. Plus, with me, Minato and Junpei joining the team so recently, we've all had a lot to adjust to. But it's like Mitsuru said – we have no way of knowing if these other Persona-users are bad guys or not. Until we do, it just doesn't make sense getting worked up over nothing. So just…calm down. Okay?"

"Okay…," chorused the rest of the team. Hamuko sighed.

"To be honest, I'm more concerned about that little girl," she admitted.

"The one whose Persona nearly killed me?" Junpei laughed harshly. "That little bitch can drop dead for all I care."

"You don't really mean that," said Hamuko dismissively. Junpei deflated slightly.

"Aw – hell, you know I don't." He slumped over the table, fiddling with his fork. "She was hurt pretty bad, huh?"

"Don't remind me," said Minato quietly.

Hamuko glanced sideways at her brother, who was staring at his hands. "Mina," she said, gently touching his arm, "I've told you a thousand times. What happened to that little girl wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself, man," said Junpei, thumping Minato bracingly on the back. "How could you've known she and her Persona were so…connected?"

"It was remarkable, wasn't it?" said Mitsuru thoughtfully. "For a Persona and its user to be so attuned to each other that when one is injured, the other suffers the same fate…"

"It makes you wonder how they managed to achieve it," said Akihiko grimly.

A thick, pervasive silence ensued. Hamuko stared out the window, contemplating the brilliant sunset.

_The Holy Ghosts…,_ she thought. _I wonder what they're doing now._

"Sons of bitches! I'll kill them!"

As it happened, the Holy Ghosts were across town, holed up in their own secret headquarters – a ramshackle little apartment that scarcely contained the six of them. Now that Suri had fully recovered from her injuries, the space seemed even more cramped; her fury filled the cobwebbed corners of every room.

"Suri…," said Noritaka, rubbing his temples. "Would you please…stop…_yelling_?"

"I'll stop yelling when those S.E.E.S. bastards are rotting in the dirt!" spat Suri.

"Okay, seriously," said Aya, "who is teaching this kid how to swear?"

"Shut up!" said Suri. "I'm not a baby, Aya!"

"Well, you're certainly acting like one," said Noritaka idly.

Emiko grabbed the back of Suri's shirt to keep her from pouncing on Noritaka.

"Peace, Suri-chan!" Emiko chuckled. "Peace."

Suri fumed for several seconds more. Then, as was Emiko's inexplicable power over her, she calmed down.

"Fine…," muttered Suri. "Can we at least…just…talk about it?"

"What for?" said Noritaka, without looking up from his book.

Suri exploded once again. "Because we never talk about anything in this house!"

"Yes!" said Manami, jumping out of the chair she'd been sulking in. "Thank you, Suri!"

"Oh, don't get her started," groaned Aya. "Please."

"Suri's is right!" said Manami determinedly. "We never talk about anything, even the important stuff!"

"What's so important about S.E.E.S.?" said Aya scornfully. "We've known about them from the very start."

"We _have_?" said Suri shrilly. Noritaka winced.

"Er – Suri-chan…," he said. "I promise, we were going to tell you, but – well – we were waiting for the opportune moment."

"I almost got sliced – in – half!" bellowed Suri, punctuating her syllables with a smack to Noritaka's arm. "Tell me, _boss_, what about _that _moment didn't seem _opportune _to you?"

"I understand you're angry," said Aya loudly, over Suri's shouts, "but try to understand us too, Suri-chan. Given your history with Strega, we didn't think it wise to trouble you with the knowledge of other Persona-users who might very well turn out to be like them."

At the mention of the name "Strega," Suri stopped cold. She sat quietly beside Noritaka, hanging her head.

"But…," she said quietly, after a long time. Her voice was shaking, "these S.E.E.S. people aren't like Strega, are they?"

"Doesn't seem that way," said Emiko.

"Don't be too sure about that," said Aya sternly. Manami threw up her hands.

"Oh, come _on_! You mean after everything that happened, you still don't believe there's even the tiniest chance that they're good guys?"

"I'm not one to bet on the tiniest chance, Manami," said Aya. "You know that."

"Besides," said Noritaka, "you saw what that kid did to Suri-chan."

"C'mon, Nori-senpai," said Emiko. "You know that kid didn't hurt Suri-chan on purpose."

"She's right!" said Manami triumphantly. "He attacked Aura, not Suri. How was he to know about the bond they share? Normal Persona-users don't feel their Persona's pain like that. Do they, Kratos?"

"No," said Kratos coolly. "They do not."

"This discussion is getting out of hand," said Noritaka.

"No," said Suri, her eyes blazing. "I think Manami's on to something. I mean, yeah – I'm pissed at those S.E.E.S. idiots for wandering into our territory and sniping our Shadows. And yeah, I want to give the kid who hurt Aura a swift kick in the balls, but…"

"But deep down, Suri knows S.E.E.S. isn't really bad," Manami finished for her. "After all, their leader turned Suri over to us without a fight, didn't she?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Emiko enthusiastically. "They probably are good guys, aren't they?"

Manami was so happy she could cry. "Yes! Finally, you guys understand! They're good guys – really powerful good guys, I might add – and think of how powerful _we'd _be if –"

Noritaka stood swiftly.

"That's enough," he said. "This conversation is over."

Manami recoiled. "Wha – why?"

"I know where you're going with this, Manami," said Noritaka, "and while I will admit that the members of S.E.E.S. probably aren't out to get us, there is absolutely no way I will consent to recruiting them."

Manami stared at Noritaka for a long time, her expression unreadable.

"So that's it," she said at last, her voice hollow. "Just…no."

"That's my answer, yes," said Noritaka. Manami nodded.

"Okay."

She turned and made for the door. "Kratos," said Aya sharply. Kratos grabbed Manami's arm before she could leave. Manami placed her hand over his firm, cold one.

"It's okay, Aya," she muttered, her back still turned to the others. "I just…want to take a walk. Kratos," she added, if only to appease her sister, "you can come along too."

Kratos' usually impassive face positively lit up. "Can we, Aya-chan?"

Aya watched her sister's back for a second. Then, with a nod, she said, "Alright, then. Just be back before the Dark Hour, okay?"

Manami nodded. Then, without another word, she and Kratos slipped out into the burgeoning shadows. Noritaka sighed.

"I feel for her," he said. "Really, I do."

"So do I," said Aya. "But she needs to understand. We're the only ones we can count on. We can't afford to start relying on anyone else. And we certainly can't afford to trust another group of Persona-users, no matter how benign they might seem. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise," said Suri, retreating into her room, "another of us might end up dead."

**THURSDAY – 4/24/09 – MORNING**

The next morning, Hamuko, Minato and Junpei walked to school together. As usual, Yukari had club activities to attend, so she had come early.

"I don't know how she does it," said Hamuko, yawning. "I'm exhausted enough, and I wake up a full hour later than she does."

"I know, right? Man, I'm so tired," muttered Junpei as they trudged their way through the front gates. "Comin' to school 's a job by itself."

"I don't know what you mean…," said Minato. "I for one feel perfectly…"

And he dozed off. Hamuko smacked him on the back of the head to wake him.

"Come on, guys," said Hamuko. "I know it's hard work, but don't you feel satisfied doing it?"

"Yeah, I'll give you that," said Junpei, brightening a bit. "Having somethin' that only we can do…it just feels great." He suppressed a mighty yawn. "But man – goin' to class is a pain! The only thing I look forward to is killing Shadows!"

"Well, there's nothing you can do but try to make the most of it," said Hamuko, as they entered the lobby and slipped out of their shoes. "With any luck, we can head to Tartarus tonight. I'm dying for some practice."

"Me too," said Minato. "I know it's only been a day, but I already feel like I'm getting rusty."

"Although," said Junpei with a shrug, "that night of relaxation wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Don't get used to it."

They jumped at the sound of Yukari's voice. She was standing directly behind Hamuko, looking worried.

"What's up, Yukari?" said Hamuko in a low voice. "Did something happen?"

"You might want to check your lockers."

Hamuko's heart pounded noisily as she turned to her locker, her fumbling fingers struggling to find the combination. When the lock finally clicked, she wrenched it apart and threw open her locker door.

Hamuko frowned. All that was there was a fat bag of chocolates, to which had been attached a small card.

"Uh – Yuka-tan?" said Junpei, who had his own bag of candy in his hands. "Next time you wanna surprise us with chocolate, try not to be so intense about it."

"It's not from me, idiot!" hissed Yukari. "Read the card!"

Hamuko flipped her card open and read aloud,

"_Dear Hamuko Arisato – user of Persona Orpheus_…how the hell…?"

"Keep reading," Yukari urged her. "It gets weirder."

Hamuko cleared her throat and did as she was instructed. "_…We Holy Ghosts would like to formally thank you members of S.E.E.S. for the kindness you showed our littlest member the other night. We hope you accept this candy as a token of our esteem. Hamuko – _oh, hell – _Hamuko, we picked these caramel crèmes especially for you, knowing that they are your favorite. Sincerely, the Holy Ghosts._" Hamuko laughed shortly. "_P.S. – the candies aren't poisoned, we swear._ Well, that's reassuring."

"Mine is the same!" said Junpei, shaking his head at the card in his hand. "Only it's my name instead of yours, and…" He opened the bag, peeking inside. "Sonuvabitch! Cookies n' cream!"

"They got mine right, too," said Minato, who was chewing slowly on a raspberry dark chocolate. Yukari squeaked and leapt to pry his mouth open.

"M-Minato-kun!" she cried. "How could you just _eat _one like that? We don't even know if they're safe!"

Minato swallowed the candy. "The letter said they _weren't _poisoned," he said innocently.

"Y-yeah, but…," mumbled Yukari, "we don't know if that's true, do we?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," said Minato unconcernedly, popping another chocolate into his mouth. Yukari stared at him.

"You really are a weird guy," she told him, unable to keep the admiration from her voice. "Nothing fazes you, does it?"

"Not really," said Minato, shutting his locker and swinging his bag over one shoulder. "Come on, we're going to be late for class."

While the members of S.E.E.S. contemplated their mysterious gifts in class, the mysterious gift-givers were taking the day off.

"I have to hand it to you, Kratos," said Manami, happily licking the sides of a strawberry ice cream cone. "Your abilities are sharper than ever these days. I mean, you even knew their favorite kinds of chocolate. That's pretty specific."

She smiled warmly at Kratos, who might have blushed if he could. "Thank you, Manami-san."

Manami frowned. "I wish you wouldn't act so formal around me," she scolded him. "Why can't you call me Nami-chan like everyone else?"

"My apologies, Manami-san," said Kratos softly. Manami sighed.

"Well, I guess there's just no helping it."

Kratos watched Manami's face closely and recognized from the way she was scrunching her nose that she was deep in thought. He felt something stirring in his abdomen and chalked it up to faulty circuitry, pretending he hadn't just gotten a tune-up the other night.

Manami, meanwhile, could not stop thinking about S.E.E.S. The more she learned about them, the more she longed to get to know them. She thought it was cute that the one named Junpei had a sweet spot for cookies n' cream candies – something Manami hadn't eaten since she was a little kid. And that Akihiko guy liked peanut butter chocolates…They were her favorite, too. She tried to ignore how pleased this made her.

Suddenly, Onekosama trotted up to the bench where they were sitting and pawed Manami's ankle. She looked down at him.

"What is it, boy?"

"Meow," said Onekosama urgently, starting off in another direction. When Manami did not follow him, he stopped short and gave her a withering look.

"Meow," he said indignantly.

"Okay, I'm coming," said Manami, slurping up the remains of her ice cream. She patted Kratos' shoulder as she got to her feet. "You stick around here, okay? I'd like to go off on my own, if that's okay."

"Okay," said Kratos reluctantly.

"And if Noritaka or my sister come by and see you?"

"You are in the ladies' room and I am waiting here for you to return," recited Kratos obediently. Manami kissed his smooth, white forehead.

"Thanks."

And, with a grin, she turned on her heel and ran off after the enormous cat. Kratos watched them round a corner and disappear in an alley. When Manami was well out of sight, he touched the spot where her lips had touched him.

"You're welcome."

Shinjiro was making breakfast when he heard the scratching noise.

He ignored it. There were plenty of stray cats around his building. Ever since he had started leaving food for them on his front step, they had been hounding him nonstop. He was used to it by now.

He was not, however, used to the knocking.

No one ever visited Shinjiro here – except Aki, of course, but he was in school. Aki was such a kiss ass. Shinjiro doubted he would miss a day of school unless he really had to.

So if it wasn't Aki…who was knocking on his door?

The knocking grew louder and more urgent. Shinjiro growled.

"Fine, I'm coming," he snapped. He thought of putting on a shirt – he had only just woken up, and he was still in his boxers – but he decided he couldn't care less. Whoever was knocking so rudely on his door this early in the morning could deal with him in his underwear.

The instant he opened the door, though, he knew he'd made the wrong choice.

"Aha," said the lilac-haired girl from the other night. She was clutching her monstrous cat. "I knew you'd lead me back to him, Onekosama."

"The hell are you doing here?" said Shinjiro angrily. He was suddenly feeling very exposed. The girl shrugged innocently.

"My cat brought me here."

"Your cat?" Shinjiro echoed dryly. The girl nodded.

"He has a nose for special people."

"What d'you mean, special?" muttered Shinjiro. "Like, 'Stop-Eating-The-Paste' special, or…?"

"…or 'Summons-A-Magic-Spirit-Forth-From-Your-Psyche' special," the girl said carelessly.

Shinjiro grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her into his apartment, slamming the door behind her. The cat hissed angrily at him; he nudged it harshly away with one foot. The girl made a disapproving noise.

"Oi!" she said. "Watch how you treat the cat, buddy."

Shinjiro slammed the girl against the wall, pinning her throat there with one forearm. "How the _fuck _do you know about the Personae?"

The girl made a strangled sound. It occurred to Shinjiro that he was probably choking her. He let her drop immediately, suddenly feeling very guilty as he watched her cough and rub her neck.

"Stay there," he ordered her. "I'll bring you some water."

"How very considerate of you," the girl wheezed. When Shinjiro returned, she gulped the whole glass of water down in one go. Shinjiro stared hard at her.

"Talk."

"Yeah, some trick," said the girl, whose voice was still raspy. "You only had me pinned there for a second – how strong _are _you?"

Shinjiro narrowed his eyes. "Very."

The girl laughed. "What, is that supposed to scare me?"

"Just…answer my question," said Shinjiro, flummoxed. "How did you know I'm a Persona-user?"

"Because I'm one too," said the girl simply. "I know a user when I see one."

Her eyes flickered briefly to an empty pill bottle on the arm of his sofa, and Shinjiro thought for a paranoid second that her words had some double meaning. Embarrassed, he swept the bottle onto the couch, pretending he had only done so in order to sit there himself.

"So you say you're a Persona-user," said Shinjiro. "If that's the case, then you shouldn't have any trouble summoning your Persona."

"Of course not," said the girl.

"Prove it."

The girl regarded him coolly. "Alright, fine."

She shut her eyes and pressed two fingers to her temple. Shinjiro thought for a moment that he was dealing with an insane person – until…

There was a blinding flash of purplish light. Shinjiro squinted hard against it. When he opened his eyes again, he nearly fell backwards into the couch.

It was definitely a Persona, an ethereal, feminine figure with skin the same pale purple color as its user's hair. The Persona had only a deep purple stripe where its eyes should be – but it turned its face toward Shinjiro, and he felt certain that it was watching him.

"You called me, Manami-sama?" said the Persona, her voice ringing out in Shinjiro's head.

"Just to prove a point, Selene," said the girl happily. "You can go back to sleep."

The Persona nodded. Then, with another brilliant flash, it was gone. Shinjiro, visibly shaken, stared at the spot where the Persona had just been floating.

"So you see," said the girl, getting delicately to her feet, "I was telling the truth." Then, when Shinjiro remained stupidly silent, "Your bacon is burning."

Shinjiro hurried to finish his breakfast, only to realize he no longer had any appetite. The girl named Manami sat on the couch, waiting patiently for him to join her. Shinjiro sat in a chair across from her, rubbing his palms together, unable to find words. At length, he managed,

"So…Manami, is it?"

She smiled and nodded. "And…your name is…"

"Shinjiro," he said hoarsely. "Shinjiro – uh – Aragaki."

"Shinjiro," the girl repeated. She frowned. "Dunno."

"What d'you mean, 'Dunno'?" said Shinjiro, finding enough sense to be indignant. "What's there to know? That's my name."

"Yeah, but it doesn't really suit you," said Manami. She contemplated him for a second. "Shinji is better."

Shinjiro actually laughed.

"What's so funny?" demanded Manami.

"It's not, really," he told her. "It's just…You're only the third person ever to call me that."

"Ah," said Manami. "Well, three always has been my lucky number."

She gave him a disarmingly winning smile, and Shinjiro almost forgot to ask,

"So…what exactly do you want from me?"

Manami shook her head. "Nothing. I just…want to hang out."

"Hang out," said Shinjiro skeptically. "Why would a girl like you want to hang out with me?"

"And what kind of girl do you think I am, exactly?" said Manami, arching an eyebrow.

"Clean," said Shinjiro. "A little sheltered, maybe."

Manami shrugged. "I guess that's a fair assessment."

"Okay, then," said Shinjiro, "why would you want to hang out with me?"

Manami cradled her chin in one hand. "Would you believe me if I told you I was lonely?"

"No," said Shinjiro. She smiled again.

"Well, it's true, so…"

"What's a kid like you got to be lonely about?" said Shinjiro. "Don't you have friends?"

"Nope," said Manami. "My, uh…Well, I guess you could call them my bosses, although one of them is my sister…Anyway, they kind of…won't let me have any."

"Are they users, too?" asked Shinjiro. Manami nodded. "And they don't want you making friends because…what, they're afraid you'll blab the secret to everyone?"

"Not really," said Manami. "They don't trust other users, either. They'd freak if they knew I was talking to you right now. Basically, they think anyone outside our little team is out to get us. Especially other users. But I'm determined to prove them wrong. See, I'm one of those people who believe that deep down, people are basically good."

"One of those, eh?" said Shinjiro dryly.

"Yes," said Manami, "and I've rarely been proven wrong. Take you, for instance. You've proven to me that you're a good guy, despite your efforts to convince me otherwise from the beginning."

"I almost choked you," Shinjiro reminded her.

"But you didn't," said Manami. "And you felt guilty about it, I could tell. Face it, Shinji-san – you're a better person than you'd like people to believe. And that's why, starting today, you and I are going to hang out together."

Shinjiro rubbed his knee awkwardly. "So…you really just came here to hang out?"

"Yup."

"Uh – shit. I can't believe I'm saying this, but…fine. We can hang out, I guess."

Manami's face lit up. "Really?"

"It's not like I have anything better to do," muttered Shinjiro. "You're just gonna have to hang out here while I do stuff, though. Is that okay?"

"That's great!" said Manami, unexpectedly enthusiastic. "Maybe I can help!"

"Listen, I don't want you getting in the way," said Shinjiro, standing. "I mean it's fine if you wanna dick around here, but –"

_Tap tap tap._

Both Manami and Shinjiro frowned. Two knocks in one day? Shinjiro didn't think this had ever happened before.

"Hey, Shinji." It was Aki's voice on the other side. "Hurry the hell up, I'm late for school."

"Who's that?" said Manami keenly, as Shinjiro made for the door.

"Ah – just an old friend," he said vaguely. "No idea what he's doing here, though."

"Shinji, who're you talking to?"

"No one!" said Shinjiro irritably. "Calm your shit, okay, Aki?"

"Aki…?" mumbled Manami, as Shinjiro opened the door. When she caught sight of who was on the other side, she leapt out of her seat in shock.

Akihiko Sanada. This Shinji boy was friends with Akihiko Sanada?

"Hey, I brought you some food," said Akihiko, who still had not noticed Manami.

Shinjiro stared at the bag in Aki's hand. "That's it? You skipped first period for this?"

"Well, yeah," said Akihiko carelessly. "Plus…well, I know you don't like to be bothered with the Persona stuff, but something weird happened the other night, and I wanted to see what you – er – h-hello…?"

Finally, he had spotted Manami, who was standing stock-still, staring directly at him. Akihiko was shocked. Shinji wasn't the type to hang out alone with young girls in his apartment – though, Akihiko had to admit, he was doing quite well for himself. The girl was petite and curvy, with long, flowing lilac hair that perfectly framed her heart-shaped face. If he was being completely honest with himself, Akihiko wasn't sure how his friend had landed a girl like this.

"Oh – right," said Shinjiro. "Manami, this is my friend Aki – uh – Akihiko Sanada."

"Nice to meet you," said Akihiko, somewhat shyly. Shinjiro smiled to himself. Aki always had been lousy with girls, especially pretty ones.

"Aki, this is Manami…um…" He turned to Manami. "What's your surname?"

"Nevermind!" blurted Manami, scooping her cat up. She looked terrified. "I, uh – I've gotta go, Shinji, I just – um – remembered that I have stuff to do. I'll see you later, okay?"

"O-okay?" said Shinjiro, frowning after Manami as she bolted from his apartment. "See you later, I guess…"

Akihiko was silent for a second, staring after Manami.

"Who was _that_?" he finally asked, breathlessly.

"Just some weird girl I met the other day," said Shinjiro, shrugging.

"She called you Shinji," Akihiko pointed out, as though this was the equivalent of an engagement.

"Yeah, she's kind of pushy like that," said Shinjiro, snatching the bag of food from Akihiko's hand and retreating into his apartment. Akihiko followed him, still looking stunned.

"So…you're not…?"

"No," said Shinjiro flatly. "So far, she's not really my type."

"Not your type?" repeated Akihiko, raising his eyes to the heavens. "She's a knockout!"

Shinjiro frowned. "A knockout? Dude, you never like girls."

"That's because girls never look like _that_," said Akihiko, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. Shinjiro rolled his eyes.

"You are seriously the shallowest motherfucker I have ever met." He took a massive bite out of a donut and eyed Akihiko. "There was something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh – right," said Akihiko, shaking himself. "Listen, I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't really important. Like I said, I know you're trying to distance yourself from the Persona stuff, but…"

"Spit it out."

"Relax, I'm getting to it." Akihiko sat down, fidgeting a little before looking Shinjiro squarely in the eye.

"What do you know about the Holy Ghosts?"


End file.
